India’s maiden interplanetary mission—Mangalyaan—recently completed 4 years of orbiting Mars. When it was put into orbit around the red planet on September 24, 2014, it made India the first country to enter the planet’s orbit on its first attempt, and only the fourth overall to send probes to Mars.
It’s been four years since @MarsOrbiter successfully got inserted into Martian orbit on September 24, 2014 in its first attempt. #MOM‘s mission life was expected to be six months! So far, the Mars Colour Camera has acquired 980+ images. Mars Atlas is also ready. pic.twitter.com/z4GGkGvl0C
— ISRO (@isro) September 24, 2018
The Mars Orbiter Mission, popularly known as Mangalyaan, was launched in November 2013 by ISRO and became the first mission to enter the Mars orbit on its first attempt. The mission put Indian space mission at the centre stage as the mission’s cost was less than the budget of Sandra Bullock-starrer Gravity. The payload consists of instruments that are used in surface imaging, particle environment studies and atmospheric studies.
The mission won National Space Society’s 2015 Space Pioneer Award. An illustration of the spacecraft was also featured on the Rs 2000 banknote.
ISRO also plans to role out Mangalayaan-2 mission with a greater scientific payload in 2020.
