India’s mission to MARS: An Update

Current Status on India's mission to Mars project:


August 23, 2014: The MoM orbiter is currently 9 million km away from Mars and 180 million KM Way from Earth and ecpected to reach the red planey by September 24, 2014 just 33 more days to reach there.

As on June 12, 2014 the spacecraft so far has traveled a distance of 466 million kilometer as part of its total Journey of 680 million kilometer to be covered in 300 days. The spacecraft and its five scientific instruments all are in good health.

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India has launched its debut mission to Mars "Mangalyaan" on November 5, 2013 projected by Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) with the aim to become only the fourth nation to reach the red planet.

It is India's first steps to interplanetary assignment to Mars (along the designated helio-centric trajectory) with the objective to develop the independent high capable technologies for enabling deep space communication, navigation, operation and management of an interplanetary system towards establishment of low cost interplanetary mission. This mission also has the objective to explore Mars surface features, morphology and mineralogy. The spacecraft has five solar powered scientific instruments which will gather information on how Martian weather systems work and water (Scientists believe to have once existed in large quantities). It will also look for "Methane" - a chemical for life process.

Photo Courtesy www.isro.org

Adding feather to its success, on April 09, 2014 the spacecraft has crossed the half-way mark of its journey to the red planet.

Good news is that on June 11, 2014 ISRO has successfully tested the second Trajectory Correction Manoeuvre (TCM-2) by firing the spacecraft’s 22 Newton thrusters for a duration of 16 seconds. And another good news is that the spacecraft and its five scientific instruments are in good health.

This mission has also registered world records for two things:

1.       This project costs a mere $75 million. For low budget of the program which is less than 10% of its total budged for INR 450,00,00,000.00 which is also less than 0.01% of total of India’s annual budget.

2.       India’s orbiter first placed in some epical Earth orbit. Which lifted its five instruments through six burns of the motors in just 25 days.

If all goes well, the spacecraft will reach the red planet on September, 2014. We are keeping finger crossed for it's grand success. Jai ho!

Courtesy: ISRO MARS ORBITER MISSION

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