A new success: On collaboration in space programmes

Space is an area that necessitates expansive collaboration

Moon landings are picking up pace for the second time in history, but now with more countries and novel definitions (a description of the features and limits of something) of success in the mix. Chandrayaan-3’s soft-landing confirmed that the Indian Space Research Organisation’s (ISRO) understanding of the technologies and processes involved and the choices it made — as an impressive (causing someone to feel admiration or respect) space research and flight provider emerging (growing and developing) from colonial shadows — are correct. Similarly, the failure of the Luna 25 mission would have taught Russia’s Roscosmos something about what it got wrong, particularly as a space agency whose reputation (the general opinion that people have about someone or something) is on the wane after spectacular (especially great) highs. On February 22, U.S.-based Intuitive Machines (IM) became the first private company to soft-land a robotic craft on the moon. The success of many space service providers in the U.S. is rooted in crucial support from NASA in their formative (relating to the time when someone or something is starting to develop in character) years. This is true in IM’s case as well, but with important distinctions. IM launched its Odysseus lander to the moon as part of NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) programme, through which the agency is funding instruments onboard commercial missions to the moon hoping their findings will ease NASA’s eventual return to the natural satellite. IM’s Odysseus itself had a rocky last leg of the journey: as its descent (an occasion when a group of people arrive somewhere, usually suddenly or unexpectedly) got under way, the lander’s navigation (the act or science of finding a way from one place to another) instruments glitched, forcing IM engineers to quickly cobble together a fix and transmit it to the craft, instructing it to switch to an experimental NASA instrument onboard. After this hotfix, Odysseus appeared to have soft landed, but no confirmation (a statement, often written, that an arrangement or meeting is certain) was readily forthcoming due to a weak data link between the craft and antennae (the natural ability to notice things and understand their importance) on the earth. The next day, IM said Odysseus may have tipped over but without consequence to most of its payloads, including six from NASA, and solar panels.

IM’s success testifies to the potential (possible when the necessary conditions exist) of the CLPS programme and could help extend it in future. NASA’s say in CLPS missions is limited to flagging interesting landing sites and providing some payloads. By 2020, it had contracted 14 companies to bid on missions, with its purse size of $2.6 billion. For the devolution of such critical (giving or relating to opinions or judgments on books, plays, films, etc) responsibilities to be possible in any country, it needs, as the U.S. possesses, a healthy and diversified (of a company, economy, fund, etc.) investing money in many different industries, activities, countries, etc private space service landscape. This is the value of IM’s success within the context of the U.S. space programme. India recently approved up to 100% automatic foreign direct investment in parts of its national space programme, potentially paving the way for healthy competition among Indian start-ups to ease ISRO’s burden in future. Space is an area that necessitates expansive collaboration (the act of working together with other people or organizations to create or achieve something), among nations and within them.

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