India-China Space Mission – A Comparative Study
Physicist Professor S. James Gates J. R. insist that ”We usually But space Of about In Very conscious No would have been But I Then Too people To tells am, Perhaps fish Too Water Of Per conscious No would have been Whereas Him every Time in that hee stay Is.”The image of space that most of us have in our minds is of outer space, a place that is far away from us but in reality space is everywhere.
According to Sir Isaac Newton, space is an empty space in the entire universe which creates a framework for everything. According to Newton, space is completely eternal and unchangeable. Nothing we do can affect space. From the apple falling from the tree to the fall from the tree, Newton’s other laws have worked so well that even today we use these laws in everything from the launch of satellites to the landing of airplanes. Later Albert Einstein explained that space is not a neutral and stable place, it also expands and contracts.
Today the whole world is striving for space related research. There has also been a war in 1962 between India and China, which share a border of 3500 kilometers. Recently China had issued a statement that Indian soldiers have tried to cross the LAC illegally on the south bank of Pangong Lake.
For the last several days, military tension was going on between India and China in Galwan Valley of Ladakh. Galwan Valley located near Ladakh is in the disputed area Aksai Chin. Galwan area comes under Chusul Council of Ladakh. Galwan Valley is located between Ladakh and Aksai Chin, very close to the India-China border. China has taken control of Galwan area located on LAC in Ladakh.
Galwan Valley extends from Ladakh on the Indian side to China’s southern Xinjiang. This region is of great strategic importance for India as it borders both Pakistan and China’s Xinjiang. In order to establish a balance of power in the Indo-Pacific region, it is necessary for India to balance the power of a neighboring country like China. For this, it is necessary that India establishes its dominance in various fields like defence, nuclear, economic and space sectors. At the same time, it is also necessary to keep an eye on China’s power development. In this sequence, a comparative study of the space programs of India and China has been done which proves their power-dominance.
The objective of the Indian space program is to achieve self-reliance in the use of space science and technology for national development.
main Area,
- Various national applications: satellite communications for telecommunications, TV broadcasting, radio
- Resource survey and management, environmental monitoring and meteorological services through remote sensing
- Development of indigenous satellites and launch vehicles to fulfill the above mentioned objectives.
The era of space research in India started in the 60s and ISRO (Indian Space and Research Organization) was established in 1969 AD. ISRO has played an important role not only in the welfare of India but also in establishing India as a soft power in the world. ISRO carried out programs through satellite communication for the development of telecommunication, broadcasting and broadband infrastructure in the country. INSAT and GSAT satellites played a major role in this. Through these satellites, it has become possible to provide services like telecommunication, telemedicine, television, radio, disaster management, search and rescue operations in India.
Another important role of ISRO in India has been in the field of Earth Observation. In India, Earth observation technology is required for weather forecasting, disaster management, mapping of resources and planning through geo-environment etc. Forest survey report in India is also prepared by this technique. At present, more high capacity satellites like RISAT, Cartosat, Resourcesat etc. series of satellites are being used in India.
The third important area is satellite based navigation. Navigation technology is used to strengthen and improve the quality of air services in India. Keeping these in mind, taking forward the GAGAN (GPS-aided GEO augmented-GAGAN) program, IRNSS (Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System) was launched which is based on 7 satellites. These satellites have been installed in geostationary geosynchronous orbit. IRNS (present name NAVIC) is very important for providing accurate location of objects and for defense sector.
ISRO introduced efficient launch vehicle technology with SLV (Satellite Launch Vehicle) and ASLV (Augmented Satellite Launch Vehicle). Later, India developed PSL (Polar satellite launch vehicle) technology which proved to be a cornerstone for space programs. India is now working on the Mark III variant of GSLV (Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle). Mark III of GSLV can place a payload of 3.5 MT in the geosynchronous orbit. The success of PSLV and GSLV in India has led to the success of Chandrayaan-1 and Mars missions in the past. Now India is working on Chandrayaan-2 and Gaganyaan programme.
Network for Indoor Object Tracking and Analysis (NETRA) is ISRO’s first project with the primary objective being Space Situational Awareness (SSA). The main objective of this project is to establish a network of observational facilities and control centers to identify, track and catalog space objects that pose a threat to the security of Indian space assets. India had made Mission Shakti successful by successfully destroying a live Indian satellite by an anti-satellite missile in space. The basic objective of ‘Mission Shakti’ reflects India’s security, economic development and technological progress of India. Thus, India became the fourth country in the world to achieve this feat after America, Russia and China. It was developed jointly by ISRO and DRDO.
If we talk about China’s space programs, then like the United States, China’s space programs started during the Cold War era when the world was more or less divided into two political camps due to the desire for supremacy. On one side, the United States and its Western allies, and on the other side, the Soviet Union and its allies. Although China was not allied with the USSR, it was considered a threat by the US. On October 8, 1956, China’s first rocket missile development agency—Piffels Research Institute—was established by the Ministry of National Defense of China. Since its establishment in the late 1950s and reformed in the early 90s, China’s space program has made some very impressive achievements. In 1970, the Dong Feng Hong-1 satellite was launched, which set the record for being the heaviest satellite launched into space. The launch of the FSW-O NO 1 recoverable satellite was also a major milestone for China’s space program. With this, China became the third country in the world to demonstrate expertise in satellite return technology. The commissioning of the Yuanwang-1 tracking ship made China the fourth country in the world to have an ocean-going space survey ship capable of tracking ballistic missiles, satellites and spacecraft. With the launch of Shanzhou-5 in 2003, China became the third country (after the US and the former Soviet Union) to successfully send a person into space. In 2011, China began construction of the Five Hundred Meter Aperture Spherical Radio Telescope (FAST) array, which was completed in 2016. In 2016, the Shenzhou 11 mission launched with its crew visiting the Tiangong-2 space station.
The Changhai Program was a very important step for China. With the launch of the Chang’e 1 orbiter in 2007, China became the fifth nation to successfully orbit and map the Moon’s surface. The Chang’e 4 mission was the most important which made a place in history by making a soft landing on the far side of the Moon for the first time. The Lunar Micro Ecosystem (LME) is believed to be the first experiment to test the effects of lunar gravity on living organisms.
The year 2020 saw two major developments in the Chinese space program. In July 2020, China’s first interplanetary mission (Tianwave-1) was launched to Mars. China’s first reusable spaceplane was launched in September. Today China is considered the third largest power in space (after Russia and the United States). China’s space agency CNSA has many ambitious plans in the coming years that can make it a leading space superpower. Recently, China has become the first country in the world to launch a 6G communications test satellite. It is believed that this technology will be 100 times faster than 5G.
At present, in view of China’s increasing space capabilities, India also needs to make more efforts in this direction so that geopolitical balance is maintained in the Asia-Pacific region. In India, the role of the private sector in space has been limited. Whereas NASA, the world’s largest space sector institute, has also been taking help from the private sector. Although India is among the leading countries in the field of space and satellite science, further efforts are needed so that it can establish a balance of power with its neighboring countries like China.
