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MANGALYAAN: THE MARS ORBITER MISSION

MANGALYAAN: THE MARS ORBITER MISSION

India made history on September 24, 2014 when its 450crore Mars Orbiter Mission (MOM) or Mangalyaan was successfully placed in the Red Planet’s (Mars’) orbit on the very first attempt. The tryst with the Red Planet came 10 months after the ISRO launched its first orbiter to Mars on November 5, 2013. But the final Critical moment was on September 24, when the main Liquid Apogee Motor and the eight small thrusters ignited simultaneously and enabled the manoeuvre. All the engines fired flawlessly for 24 minutes and reduced the spacecraft’s velocity by 1.09 km per second; this contained the spacecraft in an orbit around Mars. PM Narendra Modi was present at the command centre of Indian-Space Research Organization (ISRO) in Bangalore to witness the space history in the making by India. With this grand success, India joined the US, European Space Agency and the former Soviet Union in the elite club of Martian explorers. Later, the color camera on board the spacecraft beamed back about 10 pictures of ‘good quality’ of the Red Planet’s surface which show some craters.

The MOM mission concept began with a feasibility study in 2010, after the launch of lunar satellite Chandrayaan-1 in 2008. The government of India approved the project on 3 August 2012, after the Indian Space Research Organization completed 125crore (US$20 million) of required studies for the orbiter. The total project cost may be up to 454crore(US$74 million). The satellite costs ‘ 153crore (US$25 million) and the rest of the budget has been attributed to ground stations and relay upgrades that will be used for other ISRO projects.

The space agency had planned the launch on 28 October 2013 but was postponed to 5 November 2013 following the delay in ISRO’s spacecraft tracking ships to take up pre-determined positions due to poor weather in the Pacific Ocean. Launch opportunities for a fuel-saving Hohmann transfer orbit occur every 26 months, in this case, 2016 and 2018. The Mars Orbiter’s on-orbit mission life is six-to-ten months.

The mission is a “technology demonstrator” project to develop the technologies for design, planning, management, and operations of an interplanetary mission. It carries five instruments that will help advance knowledge about Mars to achieve its secondary scientific objective.

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 on 5 November 2013. The launch window was approximately 20 days long and started on 28 October 2013. The MOM probe spent about a month in geocentric, low-Earth orbit, where it made a series of seven altitude-raising orbital man-oeuvres before trans-Mars injection on 30 November 2013 (UTC). After a 298-day transit to Mars, it was successfully inserted into Mars orbit on 24 September 2014.

It is India’s first interplanetary mission and ISRO has become the fourth space agency to reach Mars, after the Soviet space program, NASA, and the European Space Agency. It is also the first nation to reach Mars orbit on its first attempt, and the first Asian nation to do so The primary objective of the Mars Orbiter Mission is to showcase India’s rocket launch systems, spacecraft-building and operations capabilities.

What is the purpose of india’s mars orbiter mission

Assembly of the PSLV-XL launch vehicle, designated C25, started on 5 August 2012. The mounting of the five scientific instruments was completed at ISRO Satellite Centre, Bangalore, and the finished spacecraft was shipped to Sriharikota on 2 October 2013 for integration to the PSLV-XL launch vehicle. The satellite’s development was fast-tracked and completed in a record 15 months. Despite the US federal government shutdown, NASA reaffirmed on 5 October 2013 it would provide communications and navigation support to the mission. During a meeting in 30 September 2014, NASA and ISRO officials signed an agreement to establish a pathway for future joint missions to explore Mars. One of the working group’s objectives will be to explore potential coordinated observations and science analysis between MAVEN orbiter and MOM, as well as other current and future Mars missions.

Challenges faced during MARS Mission

 · That includes propelling the spacecraft with sufficient velocity to escape Earth’s gravitational grasp, guiding it along the proper trajectory over vast distances, and then slowing it down sufficiently to go into orbit around that planet.

· Since 1960, there have been 51 global missions to Mars and the overall success rate stands at 42% which shows that it is quite difficult mission.

· The spacecraft had to be capable of operating

Significance of the project

· ISRO’s Mars Orbiter Mission team has won the prestigious 2015 Space Pioneer Award in the science and engineering category in recognition of achieving the rare feat in its very first attempt.

· Cost effectiveness: It is the most cost-effective interplanetary mission (only 450 crore) NASA spent 4000 crore of rupees on MAVEN.

· Technological benefits: The technology used in this mission has potential application in weather forecast, computer tech, health-medicine etc. in future

· Space research is not waste of time and money. (For eg.1999 Odisha cyclone killed >10000 people. But 2013 cyclone Phailin killed very few, because Indian satellite gave accurate weather prediction about where and when the storm would hit. Space research has given immense benefits to Agriculture, education, fisheries and defence)

· Success in first attempt: No country has ever reached Mars on its first attempt and too in such a short time (only 2 years). A successful mission will be a source for national pride and would force the world to take note of our technological prowess.

· First Asian Nation: India has created global history by becoming the first Asian nation to reach the Mars orbit in a space mission. The former Soviet Union and the U.S, who began their Mars pursuits in the 1960s, as well as Japan and China, failed in their first attempt to put their spacecraft into Martian orbit.

· Economic Benefits: As ISRO establishes reputation, gets more contracts from foreign countries and more foreign exchange.

· Effects on foreign policy: It can be used as a tool to exercise soft power by sending space missions of third world countries and SAARC countries.

· Proved the capability and efficiency of ISRO: After successful competition of MoM ISRO’s status has increased. Now, NASA is talking about setting up a Joint Mars Working Group.

· The 30 September 2014 signing of an implementing agreement between the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) to conduct the joint NASAISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar (NISAR) mission.

· China and India recently signed an agreement on “peaceful uses of outer space.” So, many countries are now wanting to partner in ISRO’s success.

· Above all, such an achievement works as an inspiration and catalyst for innovation in the country and bringing more youth into the field of science.

 

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