The Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) has announced plans to launch another spacecraft to Mars soon. Following the success of Chandrayaan-3’s moon mission, ISRO is setting ambitious goals for future space exploration missions.
India, which made history nine years ago, is gearing up to launch another spacecraft to Mars. According to Hindustan Times, ISRO will soon send a second spacecraft, Mangalyaan-2, to the Red Planet.
Mars, also known as the Red Planet, is located at an average distance of 225 million km from Earth, according to data from Space.com. It is a planet that holds many undiscovered secrets and promises to be a future destination for humanity.
Illustration of the Indian spacecraft on Mars. Source: ISRO
Nine years after the historic success of Mangalyaan, ISRO is preparing to launch the Mars Orbiter Mission-2 (MOM-2), also known as Mangalyaan-2. This mission will carry four scientific instruments to study specific aspects of Mars, including its atmosphere, environment, and interplanetary dust.
Currently, these technologies are in various stages of development. Mangalyaan-2 promises to unlock significant mysteries about Mars.
Hindustan Times reports that the four scientific instruments of MOM-2 include:
Mars Orbiter Dust Experiment (MODEX): This instrument will help understand the origin, abundance, distribution, and flux of dust on Mars.
Remote Sensing Occultation Experiment (RO): This experiment aims to measure electron density and understand the characteristics of Mars’ atmosphere.
Energetic Ion Spectrometer (EIS): EIS will describe the energy characteristics of the Sun and solar wind particles in the Martian environment.
Langmuir Probe and Electron Field Experiment (LPEX): LPEX will measure electron density, electron temperature, and electric field waves, providing a clearer picture of the plasma environment around Mars.
Mangalyaan has a mission to study the Red Planet and test key technologies essential for exploring within the Solar System. Source: Planetary.org
Mangalyaan, also known as the Mars Orbiter Mission, was launched by ISRO on November 5, 2013, and successfully entered Mars’ orbit on September 24, 2014. This historic milestone made India the fourth country to send a spacecraft to orbit Mars, following Russia’s ROSCOSMOS, NASA, and the European Space Agency (ESA). It was one of India’s most admirable achievements in space exploration.
Mangalyaan carried five scientific instruments, including the Mars Color Camera (MCC), Thermal Infrared Imaging Spectrometer (TIS), Methane Sensor for Mars (MSM), Mars Exospheric Neutral Composition Analyzer (MENCA), and Lyman Alpha Photometer (LAP). It produced thousands of images through MCC and contributed to over 35 peer-reviewed research papers in addition to significant scientific and technical achievements.
Following the success of the Chandrayaan-3 lunar landing mission on August 23, 2023, India continues to astound the world with the successful launch of the Aditya-L1 solar research spacecraft.
S. Somanath, Chairman of ISRO, stated that ISRO plans to explore planets within the Solar System, extend missions to planets outside the Solar System, and study minor planets. Alongside the scientific benefits of space programs, India aims to achieve economic benefits through promising space missions.
The Indian government has announced that by 2040, the country aims to generate $40 billion from the global commercial space market.