India launches first moon mission

It’s official: Indians are members of the Outer Space Club. A rocket carrying an unmanned satellite lifted off from the Sriharikota space centre in southern India. The satellite Chandrayaan-1, which means "lunar craft" in Sanskrit, is scheduled to orbit the moon for two years. The mission is to study the moon’s mineral composition.

Sanjoy Majumder from the BBC joins "The Takeaway" to talk about the Indian moon mission.

According to Majumder: "This means a great deal for a country that really thinks its moment has finally come. India is a country that’s recently been given the status of a nuclear power by the United States, it’s one of the world’s emerging economies.

"It’s got a space program that’s fairly developed. It’s, for several years now, been able to send up satellites into space on board its own rockets; but its never actually sent a satellite, or any spacecraft for that matter, beyond the earth’s atmosphere, so it’s actually marking new territory. And at the same time, it’s something that its developed entirely on its own, which is why there’s a tremendous sense of achievement here in India today."

Majumder says the goal of the mission is to map the surface of the moon, and create a three-dimensional atlas of the moon.

"The Takeaway" is PRI’s new national morning news program, delivering the news and analysis you need to catch up, start your day, and prepare for what’s ahead. The show is a co-production of WNYC and PRI, in editorial collaboration with the BBC, The New York Times Radio, and WGBH.

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