India's spacecraft Mangalyaan reaches Mars on first attempt
euronews (in English)
2014-09-24
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India has became the first nation in the world to successfully reach Mars on its first attempt.
The Mangalyaan spacecraft entered the red planet’s orbit on Wednesday, after a journey of more than ten months.
India’s PM Narendra Modi, who is also the minister for space, praised the achievement.
“History has been created today. We have dared to reach out into the unknown and have achieved the near-impossible,” he said.
The mission cost 58 million euros – less than the 77 million spent on the Oscar-winning movie ‘Gravity’ about astronauts stranded in space.
Mangalyaan joins NASA’s spacecraft Maven which entered into an orbit around Mars on Sunday, costing almost ten times the Indian mission’s stated cost.
The Indian spacecraft will study the red planet’s surface and scan its atmosphere for chemical methane. It will not land on the surface of the planet.
The Mangalyaan spacecraft entered the red planet’s orbit on Wednesday, after a journey of more than ten months.
India’s PM Narendra Modi, who is also the minister for space, praised the achievement.
“History has been created today. We have dared to reach out into the unknown and have achieved the near-impossible,” he said.
The mission cost 58 million euros – less than the 77 million spent on the Oscar-winning movie ‘Gravity’ about astronauts stranded in space.
Mangalyaan joins NASA’s spacecraft Maven which entered into an orbit around Mars on Sunday, costing almost ten times the Indian mission’s stated cost.
The Indian spacecraft will study the red planet’s surface and scan its atmosphere for chemical methane. It will not land on the surface of the planet.
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