We present you a comparative analysis of India’s ISRO vs Pakistan’s SUPARCO.
As India’s Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft successfully made a soft landing on the unexplored south pole of the Moon on August 23, 2023, it went down in history.
The Chandrayaan-3 mission was widely watched not just in India but also around the world.
India has now joined the United States, Russia, and China as the only other nations to successfully make a soft landing on the moon.
But let’s dig deep today and learn about the space exploration activities of China and Pakistan.
Also read: How Chandrayaan-3 success can offer huge economic benefits to India
ISRO vs CNSA
While improving its space technology capabilities, China is undoubtedly using all of its power. Consider this: China alone launched more satellites into space in 2021 than the United States and all other Asian nations combined.
In 2021, China launched 55 space missions, breaking a previously unheard-of record, while India only managed two.
“China has more orbital launches than the USA and all Asian countries put together. In 2021, China had 55 launches, and we (India) had only two launches. “Via 55 launches, China placed 115 spacecraft, a total payload mass of more than 191 metric tonnes, in orbit in 2021,” says Air Marshal Anil Chopra (Retd), a veteran Indian Air Force fighter pilot and aerospace expert.
He went on to explain that China’s Long March 5 rocket has a payload capacity of five times that of India’s launch vehicle, the 4 tonner GSLV-Mk3. Additionally, China is developing heavy-lift rockets that will be able to launch 50 tonnes into space.
“India’s private space companies are doing exceedingly well, whereas China’s iSpace, which was incorporated in 2016 and touted as Asia’s first private space company, is struggling. India has all capabilities in place – anti-satellite missiles and the GSLV rockets – but our number of launches is less. We have a project for Network for Space Object Tracking and Analysis (NETRA). There is a Directorate of Space Situational Awareness and Management. We have a Defence Space Agency, and one day we will have a Space Command,” Chopra added.
However, it must be mentioned that China, along with the rest of the world, watched Chandrayaan-3 successfully land on the Moon’s south pole – a feat that even China would envy.
Also read: Chandrayaan-3, Luna-25: The race to unravel the mysteries of Moon’s south pole
India’s ISRO vs Pakistan’s SUPARCO
A staggering eight years before ISRO was established, Pakistan’s Space & Upper Atmosphere Research Commission (SUPARCO) was established. Even though India and Pakistan are close neighbours, their space exploration trajectories are very different. Let’s examine some important elements that have contributed to Pakistan’s lack of advancement in the space sector.
Pakistan’s ongoing economic difficulties, which prevent large investments in space research and exploration, are one of the reasons given for the delay in space exploration. The country is presently experiencing its greatest economic crisis in decades, with growth dropping to historic low levels and interest rates and inflation skyrocketing.
According to the National Accounts Committee report, the GDP increased by a pitiful 0.29 per cent for the fiscal year that ended on June 30. This is the fifth time in the country’s history that growth has been less than 1%.
Earlier, an old video of Fawad Chaudhry, Pakistan’s former minister of science and technology, appeared on social media shortly after Chandrayaan-3 was launched, and it appeared to make fun of India’s Moon mission. He is heard saying, “You don’t need to go to such great lengths for moon sightings,” which is translated as “Itne papad belne ki zaroorat nahin ha.”
In contrast, columnist Qaisar Rashid complimented India’s Chandrayaan expedition and the nation’s accomplishments in the space and IT industries. He also drew comparisons to Pakistan, emphasising that country’s problems with internal strife and an orthodox educational system.
India is also preparing for Gaganyaan, its ambitious first human spaceflight mission, which is expected to launch in 2023 or 2024. Additionally, ISRO is getting ready for Aditya L-1, its maiden space mission, which will study the Sun.
