isroThe probe prior to launch: success on the first tryisro
The Mangalyaan spacecraft, owned by India’s space agency, successfully entered its orbit around Mars on September 24. “We’ve made history today,” Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said from the mission control room in Bangalore. The probe was developed in just three years at the low cost of $74 million (R$178 million). The United States’ MAVEN (Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution Mission) probe, which entered orbit around the Red Planet two days before the Mangalyaan, cost $ 671 million. Prime Minister Modi even joked about the cost of the probe, pointing out that it was cheaper than the budget for the film “Gravity.” The 1.5-metric ton Mangalyaan will collect data for the next six months. Its onboard equipment will measure methane in the Red Planet’s atmosphere. The leaders of the mission acknowledge that scientific ambitions are less important than a demonstration of the country’s technological capability. “It was an impressive feat of engineering, and we welcome India into the family of nations studying the Red Planet,” NASA Administrator Charles Bolden said in a press release. India is the first country to put a satellite into orbit around Mars on its first attempt. Previously this had been done only by the European Space Agency, a collaboration of countries. Japan and China have tried unsuccessfully to send probes to Mars. The United States and Russia have done so successfully, but unlike India, the probes failed on their inaugural voyages.
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