IndoCarib
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The Hindustan Times is reporting that the Indian government is expected to approve a proposal for the country to send its first ever probe to Mars. Indias Space Commission gave its approval for the project last December, and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is reportedly on board as well.
Assuming all government approvals are obtained for the launch, India would be set to begin its mission in November of 2013, with an expected arrival time in September of 2014. The probe would be launched by Indias own Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre. The probe isnt intended to land on Mars it would be an orbital probe, much like the Chandrayaan-1. That probe was the first that India sent to orbit the Moon, and also had the distinction of being the first probe to confirm the existence of water on the Moons surface.
But even an orbiting probe presents a difficult challenge. Missions to Mars have large failure rate out of 38 attempts, only 19 have succeeded. If India is successful, however, it would be the third country to conduct a successful Mars mission. The Soviet Union had the first success, followed by the United States. After the Soviet Union fell, all of Russias planned missions to Mars failed. And although the Chinese space program has generally been a success, its first Martian orbiter failed as a result of the failure of the Russian Phobos-Grunt mission.
A successful mission, however, would be a huge leap forward for Indias space program, which to date has seen a lot of great success in satellite launches. One of the goals for Indias launch here is to ensure that the country has a loud voice when it comes to future international discussions about Mars.
India May Be Heading To Mars - Forbes
Assuming all government approvals are obtained for the launch, India would be set to begin its mission in November of 2013, with an expected arrival time in September of 2014. The probe would be launched by Indias own Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre. The probe isnt intended to land on Mars it would be an orbital probe, much like the Chandrayaan-1. That probe was the first that India sent to orbit the Moon, and also had the distinction of being the first probe to confirm the existence of water on the Moons surface.
But even an orbiting probe presents a difficult challenge. Missions to Mars have large failure rate out of 38 attempts, only 19 have succeeded. If India is successful, however, it would be the third country to conduct a successful Mars mission. The Soviet Union had the first success, followed by the United States. After the Soviet Union fell, all of Russias planned missions to Mars failed. And although the Chinese space program has generally been a success, its first Martian orbiter failed as a result of the failure of the Russian Phobos-Grunt mission.
A successful mission, however, would be a huge leap forward for Indias space program, which to date has seen a lot of great success in satellite launches. One of the goals for Indias launch here is to ensure that the country has a loud voice when it comes to future international discussions about Mars.
India May Be Heading To Mars - Forbes
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