Just a note: Chandrayaan-2 has Muthyya Vanitha as Project Director and Ritu Karidhal as Mission Director. This is the first time in ISRO a woman is a Project Director. According to ISRO Chairman - 30% of team are women.<p><a href="https://www.businesstoday.in/latest/trends/chandrayaan-2-meet-two-women-scientists-charge-india-second-lunar-missio/story/364229.html" rel="nofollow">https://www.businesstoday.in/latest/trends/chandrayaan-2-mee...</a>
When US was spending billions on Minuteman and Apollo missions, there were many problems in America, including poverty. Not sure? ask the African Americans in the south from that time. However, very little energy was spent on questioning whether spending in space was right thing to do.<p>If developing countries spend a miniscule of their budget ( ISRO budget less than 2%), there is cynicism. I think what India is doing is great and is great for improving India's technical abilities and India doesn't need to answer what it chooses to do with its money.
Folks who suggest dealing with poverty before launching machines to space: the economy doesn't work like that, FYI.<p>If a country acquires deep technical know-how on engineering, it means the country can use it to spin out new industries and export that utility. That is how a country makes money.<p>After world war II, Germany didn't give away all the remaining money to war survivors. They built rock-solid airplane engines and cars, which in turn improved the economy overall.
Useful reddit page with links to all the livestreams (at least 4), timeline of updates, point form mission details<p><a href="https://old.reddit.com/r/ISRO/comments/ccbpvm/gslv_mk_iii_m1_chandrayaan2_mission_updates_and/" rel="nofollow">https://old.reddit.com/r/ISRO/comments/ccbpvm/gslv_mk_iii_m1...</a>
To the naysayers, I only have one thing to say.<p>If in future (say 20 years down the line), a research agency needs to send their rover to the moon and they have two options: Pay $1bn to NASA, or $200mn to ISRO, who would you think they'd choose?<p>Private companies have already started using ISRO for launching mini satellites, and it may not be long before it becomes a cashflow positive company in the global market.
What’s the point of posting about Indian space program here if it’s going to devolve in to arguments how India is poor. What is new that is being said here that hasn’t been said before. So depressing.<p>Just to add numbers ISRO’s budget is 0.5% of Indian GDP, given that more money is probably wasted because of corruption and stupid policies I think this is not the worse way to spend money.
Can we have one Indian space related thread without the discussion of poverty? From neither Indians nor others?<p>Lately, there will be one random idiot saying something about hygiene. But then every single comment that follows will be about, how no one has the right to say that.<p>How about you guys don't react to that crap for once?
It just got called off. See here: <a href="https://www.business-standard.com/article/current-affairs/isro-chandrayaan-2-launch-live-countdown-starts-for-india-s-second-moon-mission-119071400177_1.html" rel="nofollow">https://www.business-standard.com/article/current-affairs/is...</a>
Got to laugh at the ones saying deal with poverty rather than goto the moon. You don't seem to moan when countries like India spend money buying our military hardware do you?
Now ISRO has its official YouTube channel.<p>Watch Live: Launch of Chandrayaan 2 by GSLV MkIII-M1 Vehicle<p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=USpCu-Z1usk" rel="nofollow">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=USpCu-Z1usk</a>
The launch will be livestreamed on Twitter and Facebook by ISRO. You can also watch it on ISRO's website, on TV(through Doordarshan -Indian state channel), and on Doordarshan's YouTube channel as well. The launch is at 2:51 AM IST(9:21 PM UTC).
Let’s hope they remember to close the hatch before takeoff.<p><a href="https://www.popularmechanics.com/military/navy-ships/a14783891/someone-left-a-hatch-open-and-crippled-indias-dollar29-billion-submarine/" rel="nofollow">https://www.popularmechanics.com/military/navy-ships/a147838...</a>
It is also carrying one satellite of NASA. on top of that...India is planning to land their rover on south pole of the moon which is no yet done by any other country.By this probably we will get new information about moon which helps us to get more insights about chances of life on moon.
Behind the scenes video of the mission.<p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bGaxR9yrUQY" rel="nofollow">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bGaxR9yrUQY</a>
I lived in India for several years. Given I was on assignment from the US, I wasn’t affected by the poverty but I saw it every single day. Personally, I find this technological effort exciting, but I would imagine that those less fortunate would find this a deeply irresponsible use of resources.
Something in the line of 'Making America|India|<country X> Great Again' I guess.<p>Good for them. Personally it helps me (living very comfortably in an European country) not to feel any guild reading articles like <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2019/07/11/world/asia/india-water-crisis.html" rel="nofollow">https://www.nytimes.com/2019/07/11/world/asia/india-water-cr...</a>
I’ve been to India, and seeing the catastrophic living condition of the majority of its citizens makes me question if going to the moon is the right priority.