India's Cut-Price Space Program - This Post - External Link

Twelve-foot-high electric fences and fortified machine gun posts surround the administrative headquarters of India's space agency.

Although the space program is a civilian effort, it is a symbol of national excellence -- and that makes it an ideal target. But behind the several layers of security, the Indian Space Research Organisation, or ISRO, is abuzz with new projects and excitement.

And Indians pride themselves on their success in space.

Every launch resonates deeply in patriotic nerve centers and causes celebrations throughout the country. Some cities fire off so many fireworks the sky stays thick with smoke for hours. In other places, people pray for the success of the mission in temples and mosques. They may not know what's on board the rocket, but its liftoff certainly lends credibility to India.

Still, India's rocket scientists are humble about their work. Launching missiles with massive payloads into space is a tricky business and things can go wrong at any stage.

After 11 consecutive successful launches, the most recent launch of India's Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle on July 10 had to be aborted when one of the engines failed. But these sorts of setbacks are par for the course in the space business -- and aren't confined to India. In 2003, a similar satellite launch by Brazil's space agency resulted in disaster when the rocket exploded on the launch pad, killing 21 technicians and briefly forcing the country to suspend its space program.

To keep the odds in their favor, some scientists make pilgrimages to the famous Venkateswara temple in Tirupati, Andhra Pradesh, with a small bronze replica of the payload. The model is sprinkled with holy water and placed in front of an idol of Vishnu to be blessed for success.

"Once you are airborne there is not time to make changes," said Rajeev Lochan, assistant science secretary of ISRO. "Maybe it helps to have the divine in your corner."

India has had a 30-year run in mastering space telecommunications and Earth reconnaissance, but the moon mission would be the first for purely scientific ends. And it could be the beginning of a new era for the program.