The White House has warned India about its rumored plan to build a base on the Moon, and has said that, should the rumor prove true, the US would use all its firepower to annihilate the base, as it is on American territory.
Ever since the first astronauts planted the American flag on the Moon in July 1969, the Moon has been considered US territory, and to have the Indians attempt not only a lunar mission, but to actually go ahead and build on its surface, would be, say officials, akin to an invasion of the US.
Chandrayaan-2 will be launched at 14:43 local time today, Monday, the Indian space agency, ISRO, has confirmed.
It said that the spacecraft was ready "to take a billion dreams to the Moon", meaning, said President Donald Trump:
"that they are planning a moonbase big enough for a billion of their citizens on US territory."
Ever the man with his eye on a real estate deal, however, Mr Trump did say that he would be open to discussions about a land sale on the dark side of the Moon, where a nasty eyesore like an Indian settlement wouldn't be noticed.
