India's spacecraft to Mars

India's spacecraft inches closer to Mars... and history

By Madison Park

Just days after NASA's Mars orbiter reached the Red Planet, India's first mission could follow suit and make history Wednesday.

India's Mars Orbiter Mission has been groundbreaking for the country, with a price tag of $74 million, a fraction of the $671 million NASA spent on its MAVEN spacecraft.

If Mars Orbiter Mission, also known as Mangalyaan, successfully enters Mars' orbit, India would become the first Asian nation to do so. To date, only the U.S., Europe and the Soviets have successfully sent spacecraft to Mars. But India is also aiming for another record.

It's aiming to be the first country in the world to succeed in its first attempt to enter the Mars orbit, said S. Satish, a space expert based in Bangalore, India. "It's a great technical achievement for the country," he said.

Once it nears Mars' orbit, the spacecraft will have to execute a series of complicated and critical maneuvers. About half of all spacecraft sent to missions on the planet have veered off course, malfunctioned or crashed. "The trajectory it has to follow is very complicated," Satish said.

The Mars Orbiter Mission will fire a small rocket in the reverse direction, to reduce speed for exactly 24 minutes and 11 seconds capture into Mars' orbit.

A live telecast will be available starting 6:45 a.m. Indian Standard Time (9:15 p.m. EST) on the Indian Space Research Organization's (ISRO) website. The entry into Mars' orbit is expected at 7:21 a.m. in India (9:51 p.m. EST)

The spacecraft launched on November 5, and has traveled over 215 million kilometers to get near Mars. Its mission is to orbit the Red Planet, mapping its surface and studying the atmosphere.

The mission has been freighted with patriotic significance for India since its inception, and is seen as a symbolic coup over its neighbor, China, which is also ramping up its space ambitions.