MOM in world's cross hairs

The Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro)'s Mars Orbiter Mission (MOM) was the most-tracked satellite (at 1.17 am IST on Sunday) among the top 50, while the US Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution (MAVEN) was at the 11th most-tracked.

According to satellite tracking website N2yo.com, MOM was at the second spot till 11.14 pm IST on Saturday. But as the slingshot came closer, it moved to the top, pushing International Space Station (ISS)'s Zarya to second. ISS is run by the spaces agencies of the US, Russia, Japan, Canada and Europe.

On Sunday, MOM was over the Pacific, above Mexico, according to N2yo.com.

Three other Indian satellites were also among these 50 satellites. Saral (in 35th slot), a 408-kg satellite equipped with a Ka-band altimeter to measure the height of ocean waves, was the first Indian satellite on this list. It was developed by France and India. Second came the Insat 3D (37th slot), a meteorological satellite launched aboard the Ariane 5 ECA and designed to operate for seven years. The third Indian satellite was the GSAT 7 (45th position), to relay communications between Indian naval vessels and military commanders.