Indian Spacecraft Reaches Mars Orbit

India has defied the odds, and a shoestring budget, to field the first successful Asian space mission to Mars.

AsianScientist (Sep. 25, 2014) – India has become the first Asian nation to cross the Martian frontier, with its spacecraft Mangalyaan successfully reaching the red planet’s orbit on its maiden voyage—and on a budget that costs less than a Hollywood movie.

The historic moment was broadcast on Indian state television, with children across the country asked to arrive early to their schools to watch the event.

More than 50 missions to Mars have been attempted by the international community; fewer than have of these have succeeded. Mangalyaan’s feat makes Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) only the fourth space agency to have accomplished an insertion into Mars’ orbit.

In Asia, Japan and China both failed in 1999 and 2012 respectively. It was after the aborted Chinese mission that Indian scientists and engineers began to construct their own mission to Mars.

The resulting spacecraft, Mangalyaan, launched from Sriharikota—a barrier island just off the Bay of Bengal—in November 2013, at a weight of over 1.3 tonnes. The Indian team intended for the craft to “slingshot” around the Earth in order to gain the speed necessary to reach the red planet.

Indian Prime Minister Mr. Narendra Modi has joked that at a cost of US$74 million, the mission has cost less than “Gravity,” the popular Hollywood movie. In contrast, the first American mission to Mars, the Curiosity rover, cost the agency more than US$600 million. It arrived on Mars in August 2012.

Mangalyaan is expected to provide data on the atmospheric content on Mars. This will include methane measurements, as this is of great interest to scientists who have suggested that methane-producing organisms could live underground on Mars, away from harsh surface conditions.

Researchers expect that the additional measurements and observations to be delivered by Mangalyaan will enable them to better understand conditions on Mars. The planet once had an Earth-like atmosphere, many billions of years ago, a fact which has prompted speculation that it could have once inhabited life.

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Copyright: Asian Scientist Magazine; Photo: Mike Licht/Flickr/CC.
Disclaimer: This article does not necessarily reflect the views of AsianScientist or its staff.

Yamini graduated with a bachelors degree in biomedical sciences from the University of Manchester, UK. She has a passion for science and how it is perceived by the wider community.

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