Jump on for a value-for-money trip to Mars

On November 5, the Mars Orbiter Mission (MOM) was launched from the Sriharikota space station. This was India's entry into interplanetary missions and space exploration.

The two objectives of the Rs 450-crore Mars mission (considered the cheapest in the world) were technological and scientific, said K Radhakrishnan, chairman, Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro), who described this mission as "the most complex one in the history of Isro".

Technological objectives included design and realisation of the Mars orbiter with a capability to survive and perform Earth-bound manoeuvres, cruise phase of 300 days, Mars orbit insertion/capture and on-orbit phase around Mars.

It would also enable deep-space communication, navigation, mission planning & management and incorporate autonomous features to handle contingency situations.

The scientific mission would be to explore Mars' surface features, morphology, mineralogy and atmosphere with indigenous instruments.

India is the sixth country to have a Mars programme. There have been only 51 missions to Mars; the predominant ones have been by the US, Russia and the European Union consortium. The success rate has been less than half.

If Isro succeeds, which Radhakrishnan is confident of, not only would the world applaud "our scientific capability, once again it will tell the world India's frugal engineering is the most cost-efficient and successful, starting from automobiles to space".

While Isro's cost to send the spacecraft to the red planet is $69 million (Rs 450 crore), the US has scheduled a launch to the planet in mid-November; the cost is estimated at $671 million (Rs 4,093 crore).

Isro officials attributed the difference mainly to indigenisation. Experts, while not doubting Isro's capabilities, also pointed out that one cannot compare the missions, because the cost involves payload, production and standards, among others. Still, they said Isro's cost of launching was "definitely" cheap.

Universal launch pad
The launch pad was universal and allowed the launch of any spacecraft. In other parts of the world, the launch pads are for limited used, pushing up the cost. The integration -production of rocket motors, testing and integration - with the launch pad happens at the same place.

An expert said: "All these lead to a cost advantage and Isro had this vision in the 1970s itself, when they were setting up such centres. This was later adopted by a few foreign space programme organisations."

NEXT DESTINATION MARS

August 2010: ISRO forms a team headed by V Adimurthy to study mission feasibility and gets go-ahead for the project

August 2013: Assembly of PSLV begins at Sriharikota for the original scheduled launch on October 28

October 22: ISRO announces postponing the launch to November 5, was postponed due to bad weather in the Pacific Ocean.

November 5: Successfully launched at 1438 hours

November 7-16 Orbit raising manoeuvers

December 1 (1.19 am)- Slingshot of Mars Orbiter Mission (MOM) to the solar orbit was completed successfully