HPAS/Allied Mains 2022 Answer Writing Challenge Day 253: Model Answer

Question: Discuss the objectives of Mars Orbiter Mission launched by ISRO. (4 marks/60 words)

Answer:

The Mars Orbiter Mission (MOM), commonly referred to as Mangalyaan-1, is a space probe launched by the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) on November 5, 2013. The indigenously-built space probe, which is India’s first interplanetary mission, has been in the Martian orbit since September 24, 2014. India is the first Asian nation to reach the Mars orbit and the first in the world to achieve it on its first attempt. The Objectives of Mars Mission can be categorized into primary and secondary objectives as follows:

Primary objective is to develop technologies required in planning, designing, management and operations of an interplanetary mission.

Secondary objective is to explore Martian surface features, mineralogy, morphology and atmosphere using indigenous scientific instruments.

Status of Mangalyaan

On September 28, 2014, MOM controllers published the spacecraft’s first global view of Mars. The image was captured by the Mars Colour Camera (MCC). Over the years, MCC has captured over 980 images that were released to the public.

ISRO now plans to develop and launch a follow-up mission called Mars Orbiter Mission 2 (MOM-2 or Mangalyaan-2) in 2024.