“Nose cone. Body. Fins.”

“Everyone clap for Akshay,’’ the teacher beamed. “Now do you want to make your own rockets?”

“Yes!” the class screamed.

“Sir will be giving you materials to make your own rocket,” the teacher said, gesturing to a man with tattooed forearms deep in concentration in taping together little fins — he was a Space India assistant.

All children dream of the stars. But in New Delhi, it’s often hard to see any.

That’s because the air pollution is so bad and the city lights are so bright. The result is a smudgy, opaque night sky.

“But up on the moon, it will be so beautiful,” Veronica said, her eyes glowing with that special 12-year-old light. “It will be so dark and quiet. There will be so many stars.”

“I don’t know why I’ve always had this interest in the moon,” she said. “But I do. I want to be close to it, not on YouTube, not on the internet. I’ve always dreamed of being an astronaut. I want to make my India proud of me.”