New Delhi: Mars Orbiter Mission or Mangalyaan, the country's first inter-planetary expedition, on Tuesday completed six months in the red planet's orbit.
It is expected to live beyond its shelf life of six months, the Indian Space Research Organisation said as it attributed a 37-kg reserved propellant to the increased life-span. The planned life-span of Mars Orbiter Mission, after its insertion into the Mars orbit on September 24, 2014 is six months.
"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.
He added that the increased duration of observation of Mars by five scientific payloads will enhance the planetary science data and enable coverage of Mars in different seasons.
Singh said MOM, which was inserted in the orbit of Mars on September 24, 2014, is the first mission to use ship-borne terminals to track the launch vehicles and satellite over the Pacific ocean.
ISRO scientists also said that the mission will reach a challenging phase in June when it will face a blackout period for about 15 days during which time no communication will be possible with the spacecraft.
(With additional information from PTI)
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