The Mars Orbiter Mission (MOM) was put together in just three years. This is a matter of great pride for Indians, asserted Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his address.
MOM, the Prime Minister explained, was built indigenously, in a pan-Indian effort, stretching from Bangalore to Bhubhaneswar, and Faridabad to Rajkot. “Success of our space programmes is a testimony of what India is capable of. When India wins a cup in cricket, the whole nation dances with joy. But the achievement of the space scientists is 1,000 times greater than that,” Modi said.
ThePrime Minister further tried to draw parallels to innovation and risks involved and said: “For the scientists, it was an unknown domain and a leap into dark and they have come out bright.”
ISRO scientists at the Telemetry Tracking and Command Network Centre at Peenya Industrial area here carried out the Mars Orbiter Insertion (MOI) manoeuvre by effecting a set of commands loaded onto the spacecraft after its velocity was slowed down from 22.1 km per second to 4.4 km per second to enable it to be captured by the Martian orbit.
The spacecraft, which weighs around 1,350 kg, is equipped with five instruments, including a sensor to track methane or marsh gas for a possible sign of life, a colour camera and a thermal imaging spectrometer to map the surface and mineral wealth of the Red Planet.