BloombergIndia is to attempt a second moon landing — after an attempt last year failed just minutes before a scheduled touchdown on the lunar surface — in a bid to restore its credentials as an ambitious space power. The nation has also made progress on its first manned space mission by identifying four astronauts, Sivan added. India and China are both trying to establish a presence in space exploration. The previous mission, which intended to analyze virgin territory, placed an orbiter around the moon before the lander lost contact with scientists. “Even though we couldn’t successfully soft land, the orbiter is still functioning and it is going to function for another seven years,” Sivan said.

Source: Taipei Times January 02, 2020 15:56 UTC