India’s Mission to Mars

Beginning its race to space, India launched its first spacecraft to Mars on Tuesday from the country’s Satish Dhawan Space Centre. The Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) said its goals for the Mars Orbiter Mission are to showcase India’s technological advancements and also to gather information about the distant planet.

The spacecraft, nicknamed “Mangalyaan”, will orbit around the Earth for the next few weeks until it begins its 485 million mile journey to Mars. If all goes well, by next September, India will become the fourth space programme to reach Mars after the Soviet Union, the United States and Europe. It will be the first Asian country to have a spacecraft there, following the failed attempts of China and Japan.

There is controversy surrounding whether or not India’s government should have spent the $72 million to help its poverty stricken citizens instead of using the resources on a space program.

Chairman of ISRO, K. Radhakrishnan, believes the space exploration will help the country in the long run. In an interview with the Associated Press, he said:

The technology developed from such cutting-edge space exploration will ultimately trickle down to benefit the common man.”

The benefits of space technology were seen when India was preparing for Cyclone Phailin, a tropical storm that struck last month. High-tech satellites and Doppler Radars gave early warnings, giving people living in endangered areas enough time to evacuate. The improvement in technology reduced the level of devastation and saved thousands of lives.

Susmita Mohanty, CEO of Earth2orbit, explained the significance of the expedition in India:

As a nation, not only should we ensure food, shelter, education, jobs, healthcare and good public transport for our masses, but also give them a reason to dream, to dare, to explore, to reach for the stars.”

Other space agencies have shown their support for ISRO’s mission, with NASA spokesman saying in a statement:

We look forward to the spacecraft’s successful insertion into Mars’ orbit and learning more about the red planet’s atmosphere.”

Nilay Tuncok