India scripted history on August 23 to become the fourth country after the US, China and the erstwhile Soviet Union to successfully land a spacecraft on the Moon, sparking celebrations across the country and on social media. Comprising the lander (Vikram) and the rover (Pragyan), the Indian Space Research Organisation's (ISRO) Chandrayaan-3 touched down on the lunar south pole at 6.04 pm, propelling the country to an exclusive club of four and making it the first country to land on the uncharted surface.
The most significant aspect of the Mission was its budget which is substantially less as compared to Chandrayaan-2.
Chandrayaan-2, which lost contact with the lander shortly before the touchdown, was scheduled to occur on September 7, 2019. This aspect of the Chandrayaan-2 mission failed due to a software glitch. It's budget, Rs 978 crore, was way higher that Chandrayaan-3. Whereas, Chandrayaan-1, the first lunar probe launched by ISRO in 2008, had an estimated budget of around Rs 386 crore.
Notably, Chandrayaan-3's budget is Rs. 615 crore. A much less than Chandrayaan-2. The budget also was praised because it also showcased ISRO's ability to optimise cost. A budget which was also applauded by SpaceX boss Elon Musk.
The estimated budget for Russia’s Luna25 mission, which crash-landed on the Moon’s surface, based on reports, could have approximately been between Rs 1,000 to Rs 1,600 crore. However, there is no officual confirmation from the Russian government.
In 2019, China's Chang'e 4 accomplished a successful soft landing on the Moon's far side. The craft was initially going to be a backup for Chang’e 3, but later, configured to be Chang’e 4. The exact budget for the project remains unclear, but as Government of India’s Economic Survey, China spent USD11 billion in 2018 on its space sector. During the same year, India has spent only USD1.5 billion, which is seven times less than China. It has more missions planned. Space research firm Euroconsult estimates China spent USD12 billion on its space programme in 2022.
NASA, by comparison, is on track to spend roughly $93 billion on its Artemis moon programme through 2025, the US space agency's inspector general has estimated.
