For subscribers
Asia’s quiet space revolution matters more than Trump’s Mars hype
The rivalry between the US and China is hurting mankind’s quest to explore the final frontier. Asia’s quiet strides offer hope.
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox
Under Prime Minister Narendra Modi, India sees space exploration as a way to enhance its global profile.
PHOTO: AFP
Follow topic:
Space exploration often brings to mind the staples of science fiction – interplanetary travel, geopolitical showdowns in orbit, and that tantalising prospect of alien contact.
So it’s hardly surprising that US President Donald Trump’s bold pledge at his inauguration – planting the American flag on Mars as “manifest destiny” – generated such chatter, amplified by a now-viral clip of a beaming Elon Musk, astropreneur-in-chief and Mars-colony evangelist, flashing an enthusiastic thumbs up at those words.
