The year 2013 was quite an eventful year. Many important projects, space
missions, satellites were launched and initiated and also observable sky events
took place.
One of the most important event that took place in 2013 was the Mars Orbiter Mission of India.
Small basic information and details about the mission :
India, on 5th November 2013, launched its mars orbiter, casually
called “MANGALYAN” via PSLV- C25 rocket from
the First Launch Pad at Satish Dhawan Space
Centre, Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh.
It is India's first interplanetary mission
and, if successful, ISRO would become the fourth space agency to reach Mars, after the Soviet space
program, NASA, and European Space Agency.
It is expected
to enter orbit around Mars on 24th September 2014.
Travelling at a speed of
1.55 km per second, Mangalyan crossed half way to Mars on 11 April 2014.
One of the main objectives of the first Indian
mission to Mars is to develop the technologies required for design, planning,
management and operations of an interplanetary mission.
Following are the major objectives of the
mission:
A. Technological
Objectives:
· Design and realization of a Mars orbiter with a capability to
survive and perform Earth bound maneuvers, cruise phase of 300 days, Mars orbit
insertion / capture, and on-orbit phase around Mars.
·
Deep space communication, navigation, mission planning and management.
·
Incorporate autonomous features to handle contingency situations.
B.
Scientific Objectives:
·
Exploration
of Mars surface features, morphology, mineralogy and Martian atmosphere by
indigenous scientific instruments.
