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Should that be successful, a rover named Pragyaan is supposed to roll out of the
lander and conduct experiments on the Moon�s surface. At that point, India would be
catapulted into an elite club presently comprising just the US, Russia and China.
Taken together, there�s no denying that Chandrayaan-2 is a far more complex mission
than our first lunar project Chandrayaan-1. The stated objectives of Chandrayaan-2
are to explore the South Pole of the Moon, find more evidence of lunar water,
uncover clues about the Moon�s evolution and work in the direction of converting
the Moon into a test bed for deeper forays into space.
And in the next phase, a host of other developing nations and private companies are
expected to exploit space for commercial, strategic and security reasons. Elon
Musk�s SpaceX is a good example of the private sector stepping up its space game.
From space tourism to exoplanetary mineral exploration, all are on the table. In
such a scenario, India needs its space prowess to be on point to bolster its
growing geopolitical clout. Plus, it should also be at the forefront of formulating
new rules for space. With Chandrayaan-2 India has made a strong statement about its
space plans. As a next step, India too should open up space to its private sector.