Mars Orbiter spacecraft completes one year around the Red planet

Isro releases Mars Atlas, a compilation of images obtained by the orbiter payloads

India's much-celebrated Mars Orbiter spacecraft has completed one year around the red planet today. 

Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro) said a large data set has been acquired by all five payloads of Mars Orbiter Mission (MOM). And to mark the occasion, Space Applications Centre, (Isro), Ahmedabad has brought out a Mars Atlas, which contains a compilation of images acquired by Mars Colour Camera (MCC) and results obtained by other payload results in the form of a scientific atlas.

The images from MCC provide unique information about Mars at varying spatial resolutions. For example, data showing clouds, dust in atmosphere and surface albedo variations have been acquired from apoapsis at around 72,000 km. 

On the other hand, high resolution images acquired from periapsis show details of various morphological features on the surface of Mars. Some of these images have been showcased in this atlas and have been categorised depending upon the Martian surface and atmospheric processes.

Mars is one of the closest celestial objects to Earth. A large number of unmanned orbiters, landers and rovers have been launched to reach Mars since early 1960s, providing data on various scientific aspects of the Mars. Analysis of all the data has suggested enhanced possibility of the presence of life, on this now dry and dusty planet. 

India joined the club by sending its first planetary mission called, Mars Orbiter Mission (MOM),  on November 5, 2013 through PSLV C25 from Sriharikota space station, near Chennai. Isro on September 24, 2014 successfully inserted its Rs 450-crore spacecraft 'Mangalyaan’ in the Martian orbit .

The MOM spacecraft was designed, built and launched in record period of less than two years. It carried five science instruments collecting data on surface geology, morphology, atmospheric processes, surface temperature and atmospheric escape process.