On one hand I totally applaud this effort by any country. On the other hand, my 2015 trip to India was enlightening. Culture shock is an understatement, and I’m not referring to the differences in food and tradition.<p>The poverty was mind blowing. Growing up in some projects in Nashville and going to school because school lunch was the only meal I’d get, I thought I knew what poverty was.<p>I remember coming back still somewhat shocked and thinking how trivial many of the issues are in the US that our politicians have spun up that now Americans are so divided over.<p>I’m not saying India shouldn’t invest in space missions. Pushing the boundary of knowledge is a good thing. I just can’t help and wonder if they should be solving these terrestrial problems first, just from what I saw there, even though I know solving those problems and going to space are not mutually exclusive.