Essay: The south side of the moon
The all-too-human habit of fighting over turf may soon take on extra-terrestrial dimensions. India beat China to the lunar south where Chandrayaan now sits on Shiv Shakti Point, a Hindu-inspired name.
THE SOUTH SIDE OF THE MOON
At the “South-South” meeting of the BRICS trade group in Johannesburg, South Africa, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi was caught on camera sharing some exciting news with South African host Cyril Ramaphosa about the south side of the moon.
Modi can hardly contain his excitement and pride when he tells his host about India’s successful lunar landing, as can be seen in this video clip:
Ramaphosa- It’s unbelieveable.
Modi- Yes. The first time to land on the south part of Ch…China…ah, the south part of the moon.
Ramaphosa- Of the moon? In the south part?
Modi- Yeah, in the south part. The first time.
An amusing slip of the tongue, perhaps. The Indian word for moon is “Chandra” and the name of the lunar mission is “Chandrayaan”, so letting the word “China” slip into the conversation could be a pronunciation issue. But it’s a telling slip, as New Delhi’s primary obstacle to cooperation with Beijing is precisely the south part of China, where there have been fierce territorial clashes along the Sino-Indian border.
The inadvertent quip also gives cause to humbly reflect that humankind can land on the moon, including the south part of the moon near the lunar south pole, with greater ease and efficiency than it can settle disputed borders on the home planet.
Modi started out the BRICS summit bristling with displeasure about the unequal treatment accorded Xi Jinping who was greeted at the airport by the president of South Africa whereas Narendra Modi only got received by a cabinet member, and with much less pomp and circumstance. Modi was also said to be disinclined to approve any expansion of the group.
India’s successful moon landing during the height of the conference put Modi in a mood so ebullient he could hardly get his words straight, and the respect he earned, being singled out by the host in front of the other leaders, led him to mellow his hardline position about expansion, which he acceded to a few days later,
It’s certainly a stellar achievement for India, and it puts India in a small elite club as the fourth nation to soft-land a guided craft on the moon.
Despite toasts to friendship and photo-ops with intertwined arms, the five core BRICs nations remain far apart on many issues, especially national security. But India, being the third member of BRICS to have a lunar program, does lend credence to fantastical talk that space cooperation among BRICS members could lead to developing a joint base on the south pole of the moon.
The “southern” shift in shared moon dreams and shared expertise is a step closer to reality, as South Africa recently announced its desire to cooperate with China in space. China has long stated it is open to international cooperation in space, though it’s not clear if that could or should include the United States--still the undisputed leader in space exploration—because China is banned from US space efforts by the force of law, a controversial law known as Public Law 112–10, Sec. 1340 or the “Wolf Amendment” which states:
“None of the funds made available by this division may be used for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration or the Office of Science and Technology Policy to develop, design, plan, promulgate, implement, or execute a bilateral policy, program, order, or contract of any kind to participate, collaborate, or coordinate bilaterally in any way with China or any Chinese-owned company.”
So, the US is not likely to be joining China in its bold plans to explore, analyze and perhaps even set up a provisional moon base near the lunar south pole any time soon.
At the same time, Russia, which has long been a natural choice as a partner in matters pertaining to space because of its association with the exemplary achievements of the Soviet Union in early space exploration, is less of an attractive option than ever before.
Russia’s otherwise commendable cooperation with the US and other nations on the International Space Station is drawing to a hasty close. Future joint programs with the EU have been canceled or dropped from consideration due to Moscow’s belligerence in Ukraine.
But even leaving politics of war aside, which is admittedly difficult given the disruption, calamity and ill will caused by Russia’s ongoing invasion and assault of its neighbor, Russia is simply not what it used to be.
In the same week that India’s Chandrayaan-3 successfully landed on the moon, Russia lost a craft attempting a moon shot.
Russia’s only successful shot that week was the Saint Petersburg-bound jet carrying Putin’s nemesis Evgeny Prigozhin, his Wagner Group colleagues and three hapless crew members. Russian officialdom’s characteristically devious command of the truth blamed the downed plane variously on the weather, on NATO, on pilot error and anything else that would point away from Putin.
How far Russia has fallen, at least in terms of relative scientific prowess, since the dawn of the space age! Sputnik was the first satellite in space, Yuri Gargarin was the first man in orbit. Luna-9 was the first unmanned craft to make a soft landing on the moon. These feats are among Moscow’s greatest achievements, but the Russia space program was eclipsed in 1969 when the US “won” the race to the moon, an achievement so stupendously large that even the US can’t match its own moon moxie under current circumstances.
Russia’s formidable space program, despite powerful technology in its rocketry and the versatility of its Soyuz craft, has been in decline ever since.
“Russia’s Lunar Lander Crashes Into the Moon,” trumpeted the New York Times on August 20th, quoting Russian authorities who meekly conceded that the spacecraft “ceased its existence as a result of a collision with the lunar surface.”
“Luna-25 crash-lands Russia-China space ambitions” is another one of the headlines generated after Russia’s latest debacle in space, and it presciently links Russia’s failure with China’s need to look elsewhere for partners.
As reported by the Asia Times, Wang Wenbin, speaking for China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, reacted to the news of Luna-25’s demise saying, “China’s International Lunar Research Station is open to all international partners who are interested in it…China will carry out broad cooperation in the International Lunar Research Station, bolster scientific research and exchanges.”
Hu Xijin of the Global Times chimed in, noting that Russia’s economy was weak and adding that Luna-25’s crash should serve as a reminder to China to keep strengthening its economy, develop high technology and boost its defense power.
China’s planned lunar missions in its successful, ongoing Chang’E program are advanced enough to have the US worried. NASA’s Artemis project is running over budget and behind schedule but it promises to be “representative” in terms of US identity politics.
With the US an unlikely space partner to China for deeply entrenched political reasons, and Russia crippled by a war, ineptitude and a weak economy, India remains both serious rival and serious potential partner to China in space.
“India lodges strong protest with China over map claiming 'India's territory'“ screams the breaking news story as I write this piece, which again brings to mind Modi’s slip of the tongue. India may not have any plans to “land” in the south part of China, but the “south part” of China poses risks to New Delhi more formidable than sending a rocket to the moon.
It’s too soon to say that India and China will never cooperate in outer space, but unresolved border issues and dueling nationalisms abreast the highest mountain range in the world pose barriers that will prove difficult to scale.
The all-too-human habit of fighting over land may soon take on extra-terrestrial dimensions. India has dubbed the area where its Vikram craft landed as Shiv Shakti Point, a Hindu-inspired name extolling the power of Shiva. The International Astronomical Union has not officially approved the name yet, but being there counts for something.
Who can forget that America’s “Eagle” landed on “Tranquility Base” where it let the LRV rover roam? Or that China’s moon goddess Chang’E released the jade rabbit Yutu to rove on the far side of the moon?
If China and India somehow succeed in smoothing things out on the rocky home front, then the south pole of the moon is likely where fragile friendships will be made and broken, a cross-cultural fault-line echoing Modi’s confused excitement about China and the moon.
Roll over, Apollo rover! Roll over, China rover Yutu!
Chandrayaan’s rover, named Pragyan, rules Shiv Shakti Point!
