The Hindu Editorial (Asia ascendant) – Jan 22, 2024

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The Hindu Editorial (Asia ascendant) – Jan 22, 2024:

ascendant (adjective) – on the rise, prospering, flourishing, developing, rising (in power), up-and-coming, increasing, growing.
space race (noun) – the competition between countries with regard to achievements in the area of space study and investigation.
moon-landing (noun) – lunar landing; it is the arrival of a spacecraft on the surface of the Moon.
in the lead (phrase) – winning in a race/competition.
Smart Lander for Investigating Moon (SLIM) (noun) – it is a small-scale exploration lander designed by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) for pinpoint landings on the Moon’s surface, reduction in the size and weight of equipment used in Moon landings, and investigation into the Moon’s origins. Its nickname is “moon sniper”.
spacecraft (noun) – a vehicle or machine designed to fly/travel in outer space (i.e. outside the earth’s atmosphere).
soft-land (verb) – (of a spacecraft) to land on the moon or a planet without any damage/destruction incurred to the vehicle.
soft-landing (noun) – a landing by a spacecraft on the moon or a planet without any damage/destruction incurred to the vehicle.
stipulated (adjective) – prescribed, fixed, specified, defined, required.
lander (noun) – a spacecraft designed to land on the surface of a planet/moon. A lander is immobile, and maintains its fixed position once it has landed.
touch down (phrasal verb) – (of an aircraft/spacecraft) land, alight, descend, come down.
craft (noun) – spacecraft.
bank on (phrasal verb) – depend on, rely on; resort to, have recourse to.
Chandrayaan-3 (noun) – Chandrayaan-3 is the third lunar exploration mission developed by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), after Chandrayaan-1 (launched on October 22, 2008) & Chandrayaan-2 (launched on 22 July 2019). Chandrayaan-3 is to demonstrate end-to-end capability in safe landing and roving on the lunar surface. It consists of Lander and Rover configuration. It was launched by LVM3 from SDSC SHAR, Sriharikota on July 14, 2023. The Chandrayaan-3 has reached the lunar orbit almost a month after its launch, and its lander, Vikram, and rover, Pragyaan, were landed on the Moon on August 23. Notably, the landing site of the latest mission is more or less the same as the Chandrayaan-2: near the south pole of the moon at 70 degrees latitude.
task with (verb) – assign a task to.
deploy (verb) – employ/bring into effective action; bring into service; have recourse to; use, utilize, employ, make use of, take advantage of.
rover (noun) – a space exploration vehicle designed to move and explore the surface of a planet or moon. A rover is mobile, and has wheels with which it can move.
mission (noun) – an expedition (journey) into space.
pioneering (adjective) – path-breaking; innovative.
interplanetary (adjective) – between planets.
descent (noun) – an act of moving downwards; going down, coming down; landing.
ascertain (verb) – find out, understand, recognize, get to know.
pinpoint (adjective) – precise, accurate, correct, inch-perfect.
Astrobotic (noun) – the Moon company (a private U.S. company, and funded by NASA) specializes in making space missions feasible and more affordable for science, exploration, and commerce. And they think the Moon is a great place to start. As a lunar logistics company, they provide end-to-end delivery services for payloads to the Moon.
propellant (noun) – a substance (ex: fuel in a rocket engine) that is used for providing thrust/momentum/motive force/impetus.
ambitious (adjective) – formidable, difficult, challenging, demanding.
Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) (noun) – The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) was designated as a core performance agency to support the Japanese government’s overall aerospace development and utilization.
Lunar Polar Exploration (LUPEX) mission (noun) – The Indo-Japanese Lunar Polar Exploration (LUPEX) mission is envisaged to explore the permanently shadowed regions or the dark side of the moon. The main objective of the mission is to confirm the presence of water in the polar regions of the moon.
rove (verb) – wander over(or) travel through with a specific destination.
terrain (noun) – land, territory.
European Space Agency (noun) – an intergovernmental organisation of 22 member states dedicated to the exploration of space. Established in 1975 and headquartered in Paris.
spacefaring (noun) – space travel.
entity (noun) – organization, institution, body, establishment, outfit.
bygone (adjective) – past, out of date, outmoded, old-fashioned, old, outdated.
Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) (noun) – NASA is working with several American companies to deliver science and technology to the lunar surface through the Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) initiative. These companies of varying sizes will bid on delivering payloads for NASA, including payload integration and operations, launching from Earth and landing on the surface of the Moon.