In an Independence Day speech 15-months ago, India’s Prime Minister announced that the world’s second most populous nation would be heading to Mars. Informally known as the Mangalyann orbiter, the Indian craft has likely been under construction for years. With an initial mass of 1,350kg (2976lbs) the sedan-sized craft will carry roughly 15kg (33lbs) of scientific instruments and enter a highly elliptical orbit around Mars on September 24.
In the coming days India’s space agency will begin the process of waking up its craft so it can be fed course and speed correction instructions to ensure a safe entry into Martian orbit. Currently, the craft is travelling at an impressive 22.2km/s (13.79mps) and will be slowed to a crawl of only 2.14 meters per second (7.02ft/s). With this speed decrease the Indian orbiter should have a smooth entry into Martian space.
Built and launched for a staggeringly low $70M, the Mangalyann is an important milestone for India and low-cost space operations around the globe. Still, the mission isn’t without its critics.
Some corners of the Indian political sphere have criticized the mission, wondering why such expense was sacrificed for an extraterrestrial effort when millions at home struggle under crippling poverty. While the criticism surrounding the Mangalyann mission is certainly valid, much good could come from the endeavor, should it prove successful.
Since the dawn of the space age only a handful of nations have been able to undertake extra planetary exploration missions. As technology has advanced it’s opened the market for private and low-budget space operations, as we’ve seen in the example of SpaceX and its competitors. For countries and corporations interested in entering the field a successful ISRO mission is an important milestone, proving capital intensive space missions are not only possible but worth the investment risk.
Whether a glut of relatively low-budget space exploration missions will take off in the coming decades is still up for debate. However, missions like the Mangalyann look to be changing the economics that drive private investment in space-exploration. For me, that’s an incredible achievement in and of itself, let alone the fact that India might be on verge of making it to Mars.
Image Courtesy of ISRO