The Indian Space Research Organisation has successfully sent the Mars Orbiter, Mangalyaan into interplanetary space, heading for Mars. This is a major milestone in India's space history.
The manoeuvre to place the Mars orbiter spacecraft in the Mars transfer trajectory began at 00:49 hours. The spacecraft is now on a course to encounter Mars after a journey of about 10 months around the Sun. (The Mars Orbiter ). Mangalyaan , also known as the MOM (Mars Orbiter Mission) will reach Mars on 24th September.
What is interesting is that the cost for the MOM at $73 million is about 9 times cheaper than Maven - the Mars explorer launched by the USA on the 18th of November ($671 million). There are a couple of reasons for this variation.
- USA used a much more powerful launch vehicle called the Centaur capable of pushing Maven on the Mars trajectory directly after cruising around the earth for about 27 minutes. This required a larger amount of fuel, pushing up costs.
India, on the other hand, is using the smaller and less powerful PSLV (Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle) requiring less fuel. The PSLV set MOM on the Mars trajectory in stages. The MOM cruised around the earth in gradually larger and more elliptical orbits until it was finally set on the trajectory yesterday.
- Another factor is labor costs. Labor costs are much higher in the USA than in India.
- A third factor is that Maven is much larger at 2500Kg that the MOM at 1340 Kg. It is carrying more equipment than MOM. However, MOM is carrying a methane sensor (maven is not) that would look for signatures for the possibility of life on Mars.
The Mars trajectory both the space crafts are on, is the same. Maven will reach Mars on 22nd September and MOM on the 24th.
This is a great day for India - a great achievement.
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