Official: India ahead of China in satellite tech
(Agencies)
Updated: 2005-03-01 09:07

India is "a step ahead" of China in satellite technology and can surpass Beijing in space research by tapping the talent of its huge pool of young scientists, India's space research chief said.

An Indian scientist monitors screens at Indian Space Research Organisation's satellite tracking Master Control Facility in 2003. [AFP/file]

G Madhavan Nair said India and China were "on par (with each other) as far as rocket technology is concerned," the Press Trust of India news agency reported.

Though China was ahead in planning a manned mission to the moon, "We are a step ahead of China in satellite technology," Nair, chief of the Indian Space Research Organisation, told a gathering in the southern city of Coimbatore.

Two years ago, India announced it would launch a mission to the moon -- the Chandrayan-I or Moon Vehicle I -- by 2007.

The 590-kilogram (1,298-pound) Chandrayan-1 is expected to map the lunar terrain for minerals and conduct scientific experiments.

The 2007 mission also aims at landing a small probe -- an "impacter" module weighing about 20 kilograms (44 pounds) -- on the surface of the moon.

Besides India, the United States, the European Space Agency, China and Japan are planning lunar missions during the next decade.

Close

Today's Top News     Top China News
GDP ecological costs closely calculated         KMT envoy to embark on mainland visit         US may buy military equipment from Taiwan         Suicide bomb kills 125 near Iraq marketplace         Bin Laden enlisting Al-Zarqawi for attacks         Divorce rate 21.2 percent up in 2004	Divorce rate 21.2 percent up in 2004       Ethnic minorities experience progress       GDP ecological costs closely calculated       Legislature passes renewable energy bill       Survey shows stock market top concern       Telecom legislation speeds up