Image Source/ Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO)
This story was originally published in August 2014.
The Mars Orbiter Mission, also known as Mangalyaan, is ISRO’s first interplanetary mission, where an orbiter craft has been designed to circumnavigate Mars. The mission was launched into earth’s orbit from Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh on 5 November 2013. Within two weeks of the launch, on 19 November, the Mars Colour Camera of the spacecraft photographed the first ever image of earth from an altitude of 67,975km with a resolution of 3.53km per pixel. The picture showed the Indian subcontinent and parts of Africa and even the cyclone Helen, near the Andhra Pradesh coast. The satellite will enter Mars’ orbit with the help of four Trajectory Correction Manoeuvres (TCM), first of which was successfully launched on 11 December.