1) The
Mars Orbiter Mission (MOM) which is also known as
Mangalyaan
is a planned Mars orbiter, was launched in November 2013 by Indian
Space Research Organisation (ISRO). The mission aims to develop the
technologies required for design, planning, management and operations of
an interplanetary mission.
2) This mission probe is set to
lift-off from first launch pad at Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh, using a
Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) rocket PSLV C-25 at 2:38 pm on
November 5, 2013. The launch window available is for about 20 days
starting 28 October.
3) This will be country's first mission to
Mars and the official countdown for blast-off of the Indian orbiter,
Mangalyaan, began at 06:08 am on November 3, 2013.
4) Mangalyaan's on-orbit mission life is between six and ten months.
5) The spacecraft structure and propulsion hardware configurations
are similar to Chandrayaan 1, which was country's first successful
robotic lunar probe that operated from 2008 to 2009, with specific
improvements and upgrades needed for a Mars specific mission.
6) Mylswamy Annadurai is the programme director and S Arunan is the
project director and SK Shivkumar, director, ISRO Satellite Centre will
oversee design and development of the Orbiter.
7) Assembly of the PSLV-XL launch vehicle, designated C-25, started
on 5 August 2013. The integration of the five scientific instruments was
completed at ISRO Satellite Centre, Bangalore, and the finished
spacecraft was shipped to Sriharikotta on 2 October 2013.
8) The satellite's development was completed in a record 15 months.
9) On October 19, 2013, ISRO chairperson K Radhakrishnan announced
that the launch had to be postponed by a week due to delay of a crucial
telemetry ship reaching Fiji Islands. The launch was rescheduled for
November 5, 2013.
10) The primary objective of the mission is to showcase country's
rocket launch systems, spacecraft-building and operations capabilities.
11) Another crucial objective is to explore Mars' surface features,
morphology, mineralogy and Martian atmosphere using indigenous
scientific instruments.
12) The main objective of this mission is to develop the technologies
required for design, planning, management and operations of an
interplanetary mission, comprising the following major tasks like design
and realisation of a Mars orbiter with a capability to perform Earth
bound manoeuvres, cruise phase of 300 days, Mars orbit insertion /
capture, and on-orbit phase around Mars.
13) The satellite will also help in deep space communication,
navigation, mission planning and management and will also incorporate
autonomous features to handle contingency situations.
14) The spacecraft's dry mass is 500 kilogrames and it will carry 850
kilograms (1,870 lb) of propellant and oxidiser. The main engine uses
the bi-propellant combination mono-methylhydrazine and dinitrogen
tetroxide for orbit insertion and other manoeuvres. The probe is
expected to arrive in Mars orbit in September 2014 approximately at the
same time as NASA's MAVEN orbiter.
