ISRO: India's Mars Orbiter Mission approach Mars orbit in 200 days

India's Mangalyaan, the Mars Orbiter mission, launched in November last year, is likely to reach the Red Planet in 200 days, the state-owned space agency has said.

"If everything goes as planned, Mars Orbiter Mission (MOM) will get inserted into its Martian orbit around, exactly after 200 days from today," the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) reported on Friday evening.

To date, the Mars Orbiter mission has travelled 21 million km, after performing six orbit raising maneuvers around the Earth. 

PSLV-C25 carrying the Mars Orbiter Mission spacecraft was launched from Sriharikota on 05 November 2013.

The Mars Orbiter Spacecraft, India's first interplanetary probe, was launched by PSLV-C25 at 1438 hours on November 5, 2013 from Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikota. 

In its voyage towards Mars, the mission has successfully completed 100 days in space tomorrow (February 12, 2014). It is scheduled to reach Mars's orbit on Sept. 24 this year.

The spacecraft health is Normal. The spacecraft is continuously monitored by the ground station of ISRO Telemetry, Tracking and Command Network (ISTRAC), located at Byalalu, near Bangalore. 

Except for a 40 minute break in the Telemetry data received from the spacecraft to the ground station, data has been continuously available for all the 100 days.

The propulsion system of the spacecraft is configured for TCMs and the Mars Orbit Insertion (MOI) Operation. 

On February 6, 2014, all the five payloads on Mars Orbiter spacecraft were switched 'ON' to check their health.

When Mangalyaan, the Mars Orbiter mission, reaches its destination, India would become the world's sixth country after the United States, Russia, Europe, Japan and China to achieve such a feat.

ISRO Mangalyaan: India to launch country's maiden mission to Mars

Indian officials have confirmed a November launch date for the country's first mission to Mars, set to launch from a spaceport in the south of the country.

"Hectic preparations are on to launch Indian Space Research Organization's (ISRO) ambitious Mars Orbiter Mission in November," U.R. Rao of the Governing Council of Physical Research Laboratory said.

The Mangalyaan Mars probe will lift off from the Indian Space Research Organization's (ISRO) launch site at Sriharikota, China's Xinhua news agency reported Sunday.

"The Mars Orbiter Mission will be sent through (sic) powerful PSLV-XL launch vehicle," Rao said.

A successful launch would make India the sixth country to initiate a mission to Mars after the United States, Russia, Europe, China and Japan.

"The unmanned mission, which will explore the existence of life and the possibility of sustaining life on Mars, will travel 299 days in space before reaching the Red Planet in September 2014," Rao said.

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