India launched its first unmanned mission to the moon on Wednesday, following in the footsteps of its Asian rivals China and Japan, who already have crafts in orbit around the moon.  Chandrayaan-1 — which means “Moon Craft” in ancient Sanskrit — launched from the Sriharikota space centre in southern India early on Wednesday morning in a two-year mission aimed at laying the groundwork for further Indian space expeditions. Scientists, clapping and cheering, tracked the ascent on computer screens as they lost sight of the rocket in heavy clouds. Indian Space Research Organisation chairman G. Madhavan Nair said, “This is a historic moment for India.”