India reached Mars on its first try. Nobody else in the world can say that, even the countries that got there decades earlier.
🏛️ Must Know
Which Mangalyaan Claims Actually Hold Up
- Also Called Mars Orbiter Mission Mangalyaan is genuinely also called the Mars Orbiter Mission, so this claim is correct.
- Not the Second Country India was not the second country to orbit Mars after the USA. It was actually the fourth. The Soviet Union/Russia, the USA, and the European Space Agency all got there first.
- Only Success on First Attempt India genuinely is the only country to succeed on its very first Mars attempt. No other space agency has matched that.
Good to Know
📘 Good to Know
How Mangalyaan Actually Got to Mars
- Launched in 2013 ISRO launched the Mars Orbiter Mission on 5 November 2013, using the PSLV-XL rocket.
- A Long, Fuel-Saving Journey The spacecraft spent over 300 days cruising to Mars. It used a fuel-efficient trajectory rather than a faster, costlier direct route.
- Orbit Insertion in 2014 Mangalyaan entered Mars orbit on 24 September 2014. That made India the fourth space agency to reach the planet.
📝 Previous Year Questions
UPSC CSP 2016 — Which Mangalyaan Statements Are Correct
- UPSC 2016 Mangalyaan is also called the Mars Orbiter Mission, and India was the only country to succeed on its first Mars attempt. It was not the second country to orbit Mars. See UPSC CSP 2016 GS Paper I, Q91. View this question.
Test Yourself
Great to Know
🌟 Great to Know
Why Mangalyaan’s Cost Made Headlines
- Cheapest Mars Mission Ever Mangalyaan cost about $67 million, far less than comparable Mars missions from other space agencies.
- A Nine-Month Mission That Lasted Years The spacecraft was designed for a six-to-ten month mission life. It kept returning science data for about eight years instead.
- Connects to Other PYQ Facts This same low-cost theme also underlies UPSC questions on India’s other budget-conscious space missions.
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