Today is a significant day for India as it has created history with its success of the Mars Orbiter Mission (MOM), officially called the Magalyaan Mission. After almost ten and a half months, a Mars orbiter that was released into the space by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) successfully entered the Mars orbit this morning.
With the successful completion of the MOM, India becomes the first country ever to enter the Mars orbit in its very first attempt that too in a very short span of time. Before ISRO, it was the Soviet Space Program (took three attempts before it succeeded in entering the Mars orbit), NASA (succeeded in the second attempt), and the European Space Agency, that successfully reached the Mars orbit. The mission for India, unlike other agencies to have succeeded in the similar mission, was completed within a skimpy budget of just $74 million, reports The Hindu.
Prime Minister Modi reached Bangalore early in the morning to witness the historic moment from ISRO Telemetry Tracking and Command Network (ISTRAC) from where the mission was being monitored. When the orbiter was successfully inserted into the Mars orbit at 7:59 am, PM Modi expressed his joy via Twitter:
Travelling an incredible distance, of over 650 million or 65 crore kms,we have gone beyond boundaries, of human enterprise & imagination: PM
— PMO India (@PMOIndia) September 24, 2014
India is the only country, to have succeeded in its very first attempt: PM @narendramodi.
— PMO India (@PMOIndia) September 24, 2014
Through your brilliance, and hard work, you have made it a habit, of achieving the impossible: PM to @isro scientists
— PMO India (@PMOIndia) September 24, 2014
Excitement is now in the air.
43 failed attempts in 54 years by 5 countries. #Mangalyaan is success at first attempt! Proud to be #Indian! #ISRO pic.twitter.com/LGE3m6Fiib — Anand Pillai (@Anand__Pillai) September 24, 2014
Woke up with a proud feeling today. Respect to all the scientists at #ISRO for accomplishing the #Mangalyaan mission. pic.twitter.com/HVDvK1J2Wm
— Varun Luthra (@varun_luthra51) September 24, 2014
We did what only we thought we could. You see, Belief is directly proportional to Achievement! Congratulations #ISRO #Mangalyaan — Aparna Nadig (@aparnanadig1) September 24, 2014
If there is a organisation which is catching the imagination of a billion people that’s #ISRO,Salute them 4 their effort #Mangalyaan
— P Radhakrishnan (@prkpadmalayam) September 24, 2014
Yes, India has officially been invited to study the Red Planet in the journey to Mars.
We congratulate @ISRO for its Mars arrival! @MarsOrbiter joins the missions studying the Red Planet. #JourneyToMars pic.twitter.com/lz90flOZLG — NASA (@NASA) September 24, 2014
As PM Modi has put it, we too agree: “Let today’s success drive us with even greater vigour, and conviction. Let’s set ourselves, even more challenging goals.”
Pallavi Sharma
Image Source [Twitter]