Epochal feat by India

In yet another demonstration of its space technology, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has placed its Mars Orbiter Mission (MOM) spacecraft in the planned elliptical orbit around the Red Planet. With this, India joins an exclusive club of global space powers, being the fourth only after the US, Russia and EU to place a satellite in orbit around Mars.

Since the EU is a collective of many European nations advanced in science and technology, India has also become the third nation and the first to place a Martian probe in the elliptical orbit in the first attempt. It is no mean achievement since roughly, half of all spacecraft sent to Mars have crashed or gone off course. While it has gone off well so far, let us accept that it has just begun with a future chance of a possible failure.

The text-book operation saw the reverse firing of the main liquid apogee engine along with eight other smaller engines for about 24 minutes. This brought the speed of the space craft from 22 km per second to 4.4 km per second in relation to Mars, allowing the planet's gravity to capture it. The 1,350 kg satellite has now been placed in an elliptical orbit that takes it closest to Mars at 377 km and farthest at 80,000 km.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who was present at the Control Room to savour the breath-taking moment that makes the nation proud, rightly said that thanks to the endeavour of the country’s scientists, an indigenously built spacecraft had been launched “beyond human enterprise and imagination.” Modi spoke at length of the ‘hurdles’ and that India had spent a mere $ 73 million, which is peanuts compared to what others have invested. He also spoke of the risks involved and emphasised that the risk is worth taking in any endeavour. Without that and the anxiety to question, the humanity would not have progressed.

While celebrating, let us also acknowledge the ground reality reflected in critical, if not patronising response in some foreign quarters that have questioned the $70 million price tag for a country still dealing with widespread hunger and poverty. Rather than resent such comments, this achievement should spur our sensitivities to improve on these conditions. We are ready to enter the space. Twenty years from now, when space travel is likely to become mundane like airline travel today, we don't want to be buying travel tickets on other people's space vehicles. The MOM opens up the path to global cooperation in this field. Just last Monday, the American spacecraft Maven Orbiter entered the Mars orbit on a slightly different mission. Together they will join a fleet of three other orbiters from Nasa and ESA. Nasa's Curiosity tweetedits greeting, saying ‘Namaste.’’ Soon, India will be exchanging data with China. When it comes to co-operating with others in this field, changing the oft-used phrase, space is the limit.