New Delhi: Former NASA astronaut Jerry Linenger heaped praises on India's lunar mission saying that it will not only boost India's science and technological capabilities but also help future space-faring nations to set up man's permanent presence on the Moon eventually.
His words come as Chandrayaan-2's lander Vikram nears the end of its countdown to land on the celestial body.
Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) confirmed earlier that the spacecraft is set to land on the Moon anytime between 1:30 am and 2:30 am on September 7 (Saturday).
Although Russia, US and China have achieved a soft landing on the lunar surface, India is aiming to become the first nation to explore the south pole of the Moon.
Linengar, who flew on the Russian space station Mir that operated in low Earth orbit from 1986 to 2001 for five months, is in India to take part in the Chandrayaan-2 live telecast on the National Geographic Channel starting 11.30 pm on Friday.
"This mission is unique, it's heading towards the south pole of the Moon, about 70 degrees latitude south. And that's where we think there might be frozen water. And so for example, the US is hoping to put a manned mission to the Moon in 2024," Linenger said.
To do that, the US will probably pick a landing site that is close to water, the essence of life, the 64-year-old said.
So this actually helps not only India and advancement of their science and their technology, it actually helps all space-faring nations on Earth to advance, you know, our exploration to the Moon and to eventually set up a permanent presence of man on the Moon, I should say, of people on the Moon, he said.
Known for surviving a fire in 1997 during one of the most dramatic missions in space history aboard an orbiting spacecraft, Linenger noted that NASA is also involved in the mission to some extent as the US space agency has asked to hitchhike a laser reflector on-board the Chandrayaan mission.
Linenger is also impressed by the Indian space agency's low-cost missions. The Chandrayaan-2 mission cost Rs 978 crore, less than the budget of Hollywood blockbuster "Avengers: Endgame".
I think the world can learn from that, you know, the cheaper the missions get, the more missions we can launch and the more we learn, and the more mankind's knowledge advances, he said.
He noted that the entire world has its eyes glued on the mission and people involved should be proud.
Leninger was just 14 years old when, in 1969, the Apollo mission landed on Moon.
I think the whole world was celebrating during that Moon landing back 50 years ago. And now little by little, with advanced technology that we have, we can go back to the Moon in a more significant way, set up a permanent presence of man or of human beings on the Moon, he said.
The Chandrayaan-2 mission was launched on July 22 by a Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle Mark III (GSLV Mk III).
The Chandrayaan-2 spacecraft began its journey towards the Moon, leaving the Earth's orbit, on August 14, after a crucial manoeuvre called Trans Lunar Insertion or TLI that was carried out by ISRO to place the spacecraft on "lunar transfer trajectory".
(With inputs from PTI)