The Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO), a prominent figure in the space industry, recently announced that the Mars Orbiter Mission (MOM), fondly known as Mangalyaan, had reached its end-of-life. The mission lasted far longer than the projected six-month lifespan, with the Mars Orbiter functioning around eight years in the Martian orbit.
Reasons Behind End of MOM
The mission’s end was primarily due to propellant exhaustion. The craft was unable to maintain the desired altitude which is crucial for stable power generation, leading to loss of communication with the ground station. Compounding this issue were the recent back-to-back eclipses, one of which lasted for a notable seven-and-half hours. Due to propellant exhaustion, the satellite did not have enough power to handle more than one hour and 40 minutes of eclipse duration. As a result, the extended eclipse drained the battery beyond safe limits.
MOM: India’s Milestone in Space Technology
Launched on November 5th, 2013, aboard PSLV-C25, the Rs.450 Crore Mars Orbiter Mission, Mangalyaan, marked India’s first interplanetary venture. India became the first Asian country and the fourth worldwide to reach Mars, joining the ranks of Roscosmos, NASA, and the European Space Agency. Appreciating this landmark achievement, China dubbed India’s Mangalyaan mission the “Pride of Asia”.
About the Mars Orbiter Mission (MOM)
The 850 kg spaceship equipped with five scientific tools including a Mars Color Camera (MCC) continued its research on the Martian surface and atmosphere after successfully entering the orbit. The eccentric orbit geometry of MOM facilitated the capturing of detailed snapshots of Mars by the MCC. The MCC has produced a Mars Atlas with over 1000 images. The mission was pivotal in studying Martian atmospheric conditions, surface features, mineralogy, and morphology using indigenous scientific instruments.
Mangalyaan’s Objectives
The Mangalyaan mission was aimed primarily at examining the Martian atmosphere and surface features. A key objective was the development of technology necessary for planning, managing, and operating an interplanetary mission.
ISRO’s Future Mars Mission
Although ISRO issued an ‘Announcement of Opportunity’ for a future Mars Orbiter Mission (MOM-2) in 2016, it is currently focusing on projects like ‘Gaganyaan’, ‘Chandrayaan-3’, and ‘Aditya – L1’. The subsequent Mangalyaan-2 will solely be an orbiter mission.
Mars Missions Worldwide
There have been several worldwide Mars missions, including ExoMars rover by the European Space Agency, Tianwen-1 of China, UAE’s Hope Mars Mission which marks UAE’s first-ever interplanetary mission, Soviet Union’s Mars 2 and Mars 3, and NASA’s Perseverance Rover.
Finally, the ISRO’s MOM is not only a significant milestone for India but also a benchmark for other nations that are yet to explore interplanetary endeavors. As stated in a previous year’s question from UPSC Civil Services Examination, the MOM or Mangalyaan, truly made India the only country to succeed in orbiting its spacecraft around Mars on its first attempt.
