Too many firsts would have been compromised had  ISRO not put Chandrayaan 2 on hold

Just because Chandrayaan 2, India’s most ambitious space mission yet, was called off less than an hour before blast-off, doesn’t mean that it has failed, dented our space programme or our global competitiveness. Considering that this mission had too much at stake, involving a moon landing on its southern side and a rover to map the surface and something which even Israel failed at just a while ago, it was better to err on the side of caution. Judging by the fact that a successful blastoff, the most spectacular of the launch procedure, does not in any way guarantee the larger trajectory of any satellite or lunar module, means that pre-checks have to be foolproof and any technical snag has to be looked at with the microscopic attention it deserves. This mission could propel India to an elite league, becoming only the fourth country to soft-land a spacecraft between lunar craters after the US, Russia and China. It doesn’t want to blackmark that journey or ability with a failed mission.

Besides, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) works on a shoestring budget and cannot afford failures, especially of something as high value as Chandrayaan 2. According to last estimates, India only has half the number of satellites it requires to meet its needs, from strategic data to predictive analysis, so we can ill afford a lost asset in space. The cost of launching Chandrayaan 2 is about half of what it would cost if it were launched from a foreign site and some reports suggest its budget is less than the Hollywood blockbuster Avengers Endgame. The countdown was halted about an hour before the launch because of a snag in the cryogenic stage or last stage of the rocket before it separates, the cryogenic technology having been developed by us only 1990s onwards and is, therefore, revolutionary. So a fault could jeopardise the landing mission and ISRO held back more out of “abundant precaution.” Launch windows are defined by lunar orbital paths and positioning from the earth and one has to patiently wait for another opportunity but that is worth it. There are too many firsts in this project that cannot be compromised by oversight. For example, the 3.8-tonne Chandrayaan 2 spacecraft comprising an orbiter, the lander and the rover was to lift off on the 640-tonne GSLV Mark III (nicknamed “Baahubali”), India’s most powerful rocket that’s as high as a 15-storey building. Its rover is expected to follow up on Chandrayan 1’s projections of the presence of water and check for availability besides picking up details on moonquakes. For the first time, the mission director and project director of a space programme are women. And considering that everything about Chandrayan 2 has been indigenously developed and manufactured, it is testimony to not only R&D and innovation but about the ability of home-grown companies to expand capabilities. India has already set a benchmark in PSLV launches, something which has even been acknowledged by NASA, and with Chandrayan 2, it wants the GSLV to make a statement. This explains ISRO’s sensitivity about the smallest move. The commercial satellite launch market is estimated to be $30 billion by 2025. Competition among service providers has heated up in recent decades with the entry of private players such as SpaceX and Blue Origin and reusable rockets that drastically lower launch costs. China has already said it would launch reusable space rockets to compete with private players. Given this competitiveness and preparation for Gaganyaan, our manned space mission, it’s okay to allow ISRO to factor safety before records.