The Mars Orbiter that catapulted India to space history has quietly had its second birthday – in its orbit around Mars.
On September 24, 2014, India became the only nation to date to put a spacecraft around the red planet in its very first attempt.
The debut achievement of making the spacecraft go round the planet was the most challenging maneuver of the mission. It eluded old planetary warhorses Russia, the U.S. and Europe, who started out into space 50 years back with superior rockets.
Originally designed to last just six months on its onboard fuel, the orbiter continues to scan the red planet elliptically from a distance of around 400 km x 70,000 km.
Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) said it still sends interesting photos and information to Indian data keepers across millions of kilometres.
Mars orbiter turns 2
