What is MOM?

India's Mars Orbiter Mission (MOM), the country's first inter-planetary expedition, may remain operational even after March 24, 2015. Mangalyaan, the Indian first spacecraft to Mars, would complete its six months mission next week. However, the government said on Wednesday that the spacecraft is expected to live beyond its shelf life of six months, as it attributed a 37-kg reserved propellant to the increased life-span.

“The planned life-span (6 months) of MOM is completing on March 24, 2015. One of the life-limiting parameters of a spacecraft, under nominal orbital conditions, is the availability of propellant to maintain its orbit and orientation. In case of MOM, a reserve of 37 kg of propellant is available in the satellite. Since the health parameters of all critical systems of the satellite are very satisfactory, it is expected that MOM will outlive its planned life-span of 6 months,” Jitendra Singh, Minister of State for Department of Space said in Lok Sabha this week.

Mangalyaan is India’s first mission to Mars and launched aboard a Polar Satellite. Launched on 5 November 2013, the spacecraft has been orbiting Mars since 24 September 2014. MOM has been exploring and observing Mars surface features, morphology, mineralogy and the Martian atmosphere. Further, a specific search for methane in the Martian atmosphere will provide information about the possibility or the past existence of life on the planet.

The mission is a "technology demonstrator" project to develop the technologies for design, planning, management, and operations of an interplanetary mission. It carries five instruments that will help advance knowledge about Mars to achieve its secondary, scientific objective. The spacecraft is currently being monitored from the Spacecraft Control Centre at ISRO Telemetry, Tracking and Command Network inBangalore with support from Indian Deep Space Network (IDSN) antennae at Byalalu, a village in Karnataka.