Mars Orbiter Mission

past Mission

Type

Orbiter

Launch

Nov. 5, 2013

Target

Mars

Objective

Study Mars from orbit

India's Mars Orbiter Mission, or MOM, was the country's first mission to the Red Planet. The mission tested key technologies for interplanetary exploration, and studied the Martian surface and atmosphere from orbit for eight years, far exceeding its projected lifespan. The ISRO (Indian Space Research Organization) lost contact in April 2022, and declared the mission's end.

The Indian Space Research Organisation’s (ISRO) first interplanetary mission, MOM studies Martian topography, morphology, mineralogy, and atmosphere. MOM’s orbit also allows several opportunities to observe the Martian moon Phobos.

Launch Date	Nov. 5, 2013 \| 09:08 UT
Launch Site	Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikota, India
Destination	Mars
Type	Orbiter
Status	In Progress
Nation	India
Alternate Names	Mangalyaan, Mars Craft, 39370, 2013-060A

Goals

India's Mars Orbiter Mission (MOM)—or Mangalyaan (Hindi for "Mars Craft")—was the country's first mission to the Red Planet. The mission goal was to test key technologies for interplanetary exploration and to use its five science instruments to study the Martian surface and atmosphere from orbit.

Accomplishments

The mission arrived safely in Mars orbit—completing the technology test. The spacecraft then spent eight years in orbit, returning science data and far exceeding its expected mission of six to 10 months.