India’s first Mars satellite enters fifth year – High Commissioner
High Commissioner of India to Guyana Dr. K.J. Srinivasa
High Commissioner of India to Guyana Dr. K.J. Srinivasa

THE government of India will, on September 24, 2019, celebrate the Indian Space Research Organisation’s (ISRO) Mars Orbiter Mission (MoM) probe which has been orbiting the Red Planet for exactly five years; 10 times its original designed mission life of six months
This is according to the High Commissioner of India to Guyana, Dr. K.J. Srinivasa.
The India Mars orbiter is named Mangalyaan (Hindi for “Mars Craft”).
In an interview with the Guyana Chronicle, the envoy explained that the Mars Orbiter Mission (MoM), the truly maiden interplanetary mission of ISRO, launched on November 5, 2013, successfully got inserted into Martian orbit on September 24, 2014, in its first attempt.

Dr. Srinivasa said MoM is credited with many laurels like cost-effectiveness, short period of realization, economical weight-budget, and miniaturization of five heterogeneous science payloads amongst other benefits.

Noting that the satellite is in good health and continues to work as expected, the Indian envoy related that the MoM is also hailed as an example of frugal engineering.
The envoy said that the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is offering capacity building programme on nano satellite development for the participants from other developing countries who are interested in developing their space programme.
In reflecting on the background of India’s first interplanetary mission, Dr. Srinivasa noted that the mission was the fourth space agency to reach Mars, after Roscosmos, NASA, and the European Space Agency.

“It made India the first Asian nation to reach Martian orbit and the first nation in the world to do so on its maiden attempt. The Mars Orbiter Mission probe lifted-off from the First Launch Pad at Satish Dhawan Space Centre (Sriharikota Range SHAR), Andhra Pradesh, using a Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) rocket C25 at 09:08 on 5 November 2013,” he reflected.

The launch window, he said was approximately 20 days long and started on 28 October 2013.

Further, the envoy explained that MoM probe spent about a month in Earth orbit, where it made a series of seven apogee-raising (farthest point to earth) orbital manoeuvres before trans-Mars injection on 30 November 2013.

A Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) boosts Mangalyaan out of the Earth’s gravity well in November 2013. Image credit: ISRO

After a 298-day transit to Mars, the Indian envoy noted that it was inserted into Mars orbit on 24 September 2014. The mission is a “technology demonstrator” project to develop the technologies for designing, planning, management, and operations of an interplanetary mission.

“It carries five scientific instruments. The spacecraft is currently being monitored from the Spacecraft Control Centre at ISRO Telemetry, Tracking and Command Network (ISTRAC) in Bengaluru with support from the Indian Deep Space Network (IDSN) antennae at Byalalu, Karnataka,” he noted.

SHARE THIS ARTICLE :
Facebook
Twitter
WhatsApp

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

All our printed editions are available online
emblem3
Subscribe to the Guyana Chronicle.
Sign up to receive news and updates.
We respect your privacy.