Step Aside China and America, This Country Has Already Conquered Mars

India once made history as the first Asian country to successfully conquer Mars. Not only that, the cost of reaching the Red Planet’s orbit was far cheaper than the production budget of most Hollywood films. The Mars orbiter mission officially reached orbit on 24 September 2014. This extraordinary success was achieved in just one attempt by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). The Mars orbiter spacecraft, named Mangalyaan, was launched using the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV-C25) on 5 November 2013 from Sriharikota. It took approximately 300 days for the craft to successfully enter Mars’ orbit. However, the PSLV-C25 rocket could not send the spacecraft directly to Mars at the time. The strategy used was to place Mangalyaan in a highly elliptical orbit around Earth, then utilise a series of gradual engine burns to raise the highest point of its orbit. This energy boost ultimately succeeded in propelling Mangalyaan onto an interplanetary trajectory on 1 December 2013. Another impressive achievement was the mission’s budgetary efficiency. India spent only around US$74-80 million on this historic mission. This figure is far lower than the cost of producing a Hollywood science fiction film, such as ‘Gravity’, which reportedly cost US$100 million. ISRO explained that the total expenditure for the Mangalyaan mission covered all requirements, from building the launch vehicle and spacecraft to operating the ground segment. However, it was noted that such a cost comparison cannot be made directly, given the significant differences in dollar-denominated spending by a California studio, salary levels, supply chains, and purchasing power between the two industries.