ISRO blasts Mangalyaan in its very first attempt

Today ISRO (Indian Space Research Organisation) successfully blasted a spacecraft named Mangalyaan into the orbit of Mars planet at 7:17 am (Indian Standard Time or 01:47 UTC). The space craft travelled for around 780 kilometres (486 million miles). Unlike developed nations ISRO belongs to a developing country India yet it achieved this feat in its very first attempt.

The cost of this project is estimated to be around Rs. 450 crores ($74 million or 58 million euros) this amount is lesser than the budget of movie Gravity which was around $100 million.

The aim of the spacecraft is to search for the presence of methane gas in Mar’s atmosphere.

References: -

1. India’s mission to Mars has smaller budget than hit film Gravity, says PM. July 2, 2014. http://www.news.com.au/technology/science/indias-mission-to-mars-has-smaller-budget-than-hit-film-gravity-says-pm/story-fnjwlcze-1226974452104 (accessed September 24, 2014).

2. India's Mangalyaan space probe enters Mars orbit. September 24, 2014. http://www.dw.de/indias-mangalyaan-space-probe-enters-mars-orbit/a-17949233 (accessed September 24, 2014).