The Indian space program aims to go where no nation has been before, to the southern side of the Moon. Once they arrive there, their plan is to thoroughly study the potential for mining nuclear energy, the value of which truly stretches to the sky, but for earthly conditions, it would be measurable in trillions of dollars.
>>> Naveen Jain, the entrepreneur who wants to mine on the Moon
This Indian counterpart to NASA will launch a small spacecraft in October to explore the pristine surface of the Moon and analyze samples of the crust in search of traces of water and helium-3. The Moon is believed to be rich in this isotope, which could theoretically meet the world’s energy demand for the next 250 years, writes Bloomberg.
The value of five tons of helium-3 is estimated at $5 billion.
– Countries that will have sufficient capacity to be the first to bring that substance to Earth will dictate the process. I do not want to participate in that process. I want to lead it, said K. Sivan, head of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO).
>>> Richard Branson ‘trains’ for his first flight into space
This mission will solidify India’s position among the fleets of explorers racing to the Moon, Mars, and beyond for scientific, commercial, and military purposes. The American, Chinese, Indian, Japanese, and Russian governments are competing with startups and billionaires like Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, and Richard Branson in launching satellites, robots, astronauts, and tourists into space.
The landing of the rover on the southern side of the Moon is just the first step in ISRO’s vision, which includes establishing a space station in orbit and potentially an Indian crew on the Moon. The government still needs to set deadlines for achieving these goals.
>>> Scientists confirm links between galaxies
– We are ready and waiting. We have equipped ourselves very well for this program, says Sivan, an aeronautical engineer who joined ISRO in 1982.
Capturing Space Competition
In this century, only the Chinese rover has landed on the Moon. It was the Chang’e 3 mission, conducted in 2013. However, the Chinese plan to return to the ‘crime scene’ and send a probe to the unexplored side of the Moon. In May, they already launched a satellite for communication between Earth and the probe, which will reach the invisible side of the Moon during the year.
In the U.S., President Donald Trump signed a directive calling for astronauts to return to the Moon, and NASA’s budget for this year allocates $19 billion. This is the budget for launching a rocket into lunar orbit by 2020.
– This isotope can enable safer nuclear energy in a fusion reactor because it is not radioactive and does not produce dangerous waste, emphasizing the value of helium-3 at the European Space Agency.
ISRO has only a tenth of that amount in its budget, about $1.7 billion, but the organization has been known since the sixties for successfully and cheaply achieving its endeavors. The announced mission will cost about $125 million, and this will not be their first. They already launched Chandrayaan-1 in 2008, whose probe first discovered water molecules on the Moon’s surface.
In the upcoming Chandrayaan-2 mission, a six-wheeled solar-powered rover will collect information for 14 days on the surface within a radius of about 400 meters. The main substance being sought is, of course, helium-3, as the Moon, which is not protected by a magnetic field like Earth, has been bombarded by solar winds carrying huge amounts of this isotope. Its presence was confirmed by astronaut and geologist Harrison Schmitt, who walked on the Moon as part of the Apollo 17 mission in December 1972.
