ISRO has announced that Mangalyaan, India’s first Mars probe, has completed its mission. The total cost of this project was Rs. 450 crore only. The spacecraft, which was supposed to last only 6 months, has helped in research for about 9 years. ISRO has achieved this kind of Mars research in the first attempt at such a low cost.
The Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) launched the Mangalyaan spacecraft to explore Mars in 2013. Mangalyaan Vingalam, launched from Sriharikota by a PSLV-25 rocket at a cost of around Rs 450 crore, was successfully placed in Mars orbit in September 2014. In this situation, there are reports that Mangalyaan satellite has stopped its operation. It is said that the Mangalyaan satellite, which was conducting research in the orbit of Mars, has stopped its operation after it ran out of fuel and battery. Mangalyaan spacecraft carried 5 scientific instruments weighing 15 kg each. ISRO had informed last year on the occasion of seven years of Mangalyaan that all of them have been continuously sending information. At the time, the officials had also said that they expected the research period of the spacecraft to last for another year. Mangalyaan has provided more data than ever on Mars and has provided more than 1,000 photographs and maps so far.
Mangalyaan was designed to last only 6 months and was sent into space. But, it has been in operation for 8 years. Usually communication and surveillance satellites operate for 7 to 9 years. But it is noteworthy that Mangalyaan has proved that a spacecraft can be kept operational for 8 years. As the Mangalyaan project has now come to an end, it is not known when the spacecraft will be sent to Mars. But it is not for now. Because ISRO is already gearing up for the biggest projects like Kaganyan, Chandrayaan 3 and Aditya L1. It seems that Mangalyaan project will be discussed again only after this is over.
