BANGALORE : Mars Orbiter Mission, India’s first interplanetary mission to planet Mars with an orbiter craft sent to orbit Mars in an elliptical orbit, completed one year of successful operation today.
Launched on November 5 last year, the mission put the country among the select group of countries that took to international planetary missions. India also became the first country to launch a satellite to Mars in its first attempt. Nine months after the launch MOM had entered the Martian on September 24.
It traversed over 650 million km distance through deep space for over nine months to reach the Red Planet’s orbit. The satellite was launched from ISRO’s spaceport SHAR Centre overlooking Bay of Bengal near Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh.
Built and launched by Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), the Mission is primarily technological one considering the critical mission operations and stringent requirements on propulsion and other bus systems of spacecraft.
However, on its successful entry into the elliptical orbit of the Red planet, the five instruments on the satellite have sent back data including pictures of the planet, ISRO sources said.
(AGENCIES)
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