India becomes first country to enter Mars’ orbit on their first attempt

AN INDIAN spaceship has successfully become the only ship to enter Mars’ orbit in its first attempt on a budget nearly 10% the size of a NASA Mars mission.

Indian scientists and engineers from the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) monitor India's Mars Orbiter Mission (MOM) at the ISRO Telemetry, Tracking and Command Network (ISTRAC) which controls the orbiter in Bangalore on September 15, 2014. ISTRAC is the centre of India's Mangalyaan mission to Mars. As the orbiter spacecraft near its destination on September 24, ISRO scientists are preparing restart an onboard engine that has been dormant for ten months and attempt a critical manoeuvre of the spacecraft. AFP PHOTO/Manjunath KIRAN

INDIA has become the first nation to reach Mars on a maiden attempt, a historic feat that has showcased the country’s homegrown and low-cost space technology.

After a 10-month journey, India’s Mars Orbiter Mission, also called Mangalyaan made some final complicated manoeuvres before entering the Red Planet’s orbit around 12:30pm AEST today.

The team was seen nervously tapping away while watching the software they uploaded 10 days earlier guide the spaceship into Mars’ orbit. Finally the scientists broke into cheer when the ship successfully manoeuvred its way into the planets orbit.

#ISRO: #Mangalyaan enters Martian orbit!! Many Congratulations to the whole nation for the milestone achieved! pic.twitter.com/VWC5jwTFW8

— Doordarshan News (@DDNewsLive) September 24, 2014

The Indian Space and Research Organisation described the mission as flawless.

The fact that the mission succeeded on its first go is a testament to the handwork and engineering of the Indian team which were operating on a considerably tiny budget. To put it into perspective, the $74 million cost for the mission was less than the budget for the film Gravity which cost $100 million to make. It’s even more extraordinary when you consider NASA’s most recent Mars landing cost $671 million.

With today’s spectacular success, ISRO joins an elite group, of only 3 other agencies worldwide to have successfully reached red planet: PM

— PMO India (@PMOIndia) September 24, 2014

We congratulate @ISRO for its Mars arrival! @MarsOrbiter joins the missions studying the Red Planet. #JourneyToMars pic.twitter.com/lz90flOZLG

— NASA (@NASA) September 24, 2014

“Everything is going on smoothly as programmed and the spacecraft’s health is normal,” Annadurai, from the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), said a few hours before orbit was reached.

But the mission is risky, with more than half of all attempts to reach Mars ending in failure. And no single nation has succeeded on its first go, except for that of the European Space Agency, representing a consortium of countries.

India’s unnamed probe plans to study the planet’s surface and scan its atmosphere for methane, which could provide evidence of some sort of life form.

But experts say the mission’s main aim is to showcase India’s low-budget space technology and hopefully snatch a bigger share of the $324 billion global space market.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi joined scientists at ISRO mission control near the southern city of Bangalore for the spacecraft’s orbit entry.