American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics

1

Mangalyaan - Overview and Technical Architecture of India's First

Interplanetary Mission to Mars

Venkatesan Sundararajan Associate Fellow, American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics

ABSTRACT

On August 15, 2012, the 66th Independence Day of India, Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh formally announced

Mangalyaan, the nation’s first interplanetary mission to Mars. The Mars Orbiter mission was initiated by the Indian Space

Research Organization (ISRO) to study the upper atmosphere of the most Earth like planet in the Solar System.

Mangalyaan orbiter is planned to be launched to an initial Earth orbit in October 2013 by a PSLV-XL rocket. The spacecraft

will begin the Mars Transfer Trajectory (MTT) on November 26, 2013. By September 22, 2014, the spacecraft will be

placed in a highly elliptical orbit after the crucial Mars Orbit Insertion (MOI) maneuver by firing the 440 N Liquid Apogee

Motor (LAM).

The Indian Mars Orbiter mission is being developed as a technology demonstration mission with five experimental science

payloads. One of the main objectives of the first Indian mission to Mars is to develop the technologies required for the

design, planning, management and operations of an interplanetary mission.

This paper presents an overview of the technology and science objectives of India’s first interplanetary mission to Mars,

launch vehicle, spacecraft architecture, science instruments, mission design and program management.

I. INTRODUCTION

Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) was established in November 1969. Earlier, in 1962, space activities in the

country were initiated with the setting up of Indian National Committee for Space Research (INCOSPAR). The Government

of India constituted the Space Commission and established the Department of Space (DOS) in June 1972 and brought ISRO

under DOS in September 1972. The policy of the Indian Government in space activity is under the overall responsibility of

the Space Commission. The Space Commission formulates the policies and oversees the implementation of the Indian Space

Program (ISP) to promote the development and application of space science and technology for the socio-economic benefit

of the country. Advisory Committee for Space Science (ADCOS) of ISRO promotes indigenous activities in the field of

space science.1 ADCOS is the planning body responsible for supporting Indian Space Program missions in the following

areas: (1) Astronomy & Astrophysics, (2) Space Weather, (3) Planetary Exploration, and (4) Weather & Climate Science.

Chandrayaan-1, India‘s first deep space orbiter mission to the Moon, was launched on October 22, 2008 by the PSLV-

XL Rocket. It carried eleven scientific instruments to prepare three-dimensional chemical and mineralogical mapping of the

lunar surface. The payloads consisted of five Indian instruments selected by ADCOS, two from NASA, three from ESA and

one from Bulgaria. A secondary mini-satellite carried onboard the Chandrayaan-1 spacecraft, Indian Moon Impact Probe

(MIP) was also released from the spacecraft’s final lunar polar orbit of 100 KM above the moon's surface on November 14,

2008. NASA’s Moon Mineralogy Mapper (M3) instrument discovered surficial water in the Moon, linked to abundance of

OH/ H20 involving solar-wind interaction with lunar surface. ISRO’s Chandra’s Altitudinal Composition Explorer (CHACE)

mass spectrometer payload onboard the Moon Impact Probe (MIP) made a direct detection of H2O in the tenuous lunar

ambience through in situ measurements. These two (CHACE and M3) complementary experiments are shown to

collectively provide unambiguous signatures for the distribution of water in solid and gaseous phases in Earth’s moon.2

The successful launch and operation of the Chandrayaan-1 spacecraft and the significant scientific discoveries from the

mission heralded the beginning of a new space science and planetary exploration program within the ISP. ISRO is currently

undertaking the integration of five science payloads selected by ADCOS with the Indian Mars Orbiter Mission

(“Mangalyaan”) slated for launch by the PSLV-XL (PSLV-C25) Rocket in Oct/ Nov. 2013. The cost of the first Indian Mars

Orbiter is about ₹450 Crores ($90 Million). A multi-wavelength national space observatory, ASTROSAT-1 is scheduled for

launch by PSLV Rocket in 2014. A follow-up Chandrayaan-II Lunar Mission consisting of an Orbiter and a Lander module

with Rover is being planned for a launch by Indian GSLV Rocket in 2016.

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II. SPACE EXPLORATION AND MARS

Humans have been fascinated with the planet Mars for millennia. The Red Planet is the most Earth like planet in the Solar

System. Mars today is cold and dry with a tenuous atmosphere but has seasons like those of Earth. Mars once had mild and

humid Earth like climate but most of Martian atmosphere was lost due to the three leading processes: (1) Escape into space

(2) meteoritic impacts and (3) physico-chemical reactions. Mars has been without a global magnetic field for aeons and

plate-tectonic activity is absent. Mars has two irregular shaped moons, Phobos and Deimos.

NASA’s Mariner 4 spacecraft launched on November 28, 1964 performed the first successful flyby of the planet Mars in

1965 returning the first pictures of the Martian surface. The flybys of Mariner 6 and 7 showed a desolate world with impact

craters similar to those seen on the Moon. Soviet Mars missions Mars 2 and 3 launched in 1971 became the first landers to

arrive on the Martian surface via crash landing and soft-landing respectively. In 1971, NASA’s Mariner 9 orbiter provided

evidence of dry flood channels and volcanism on Mars. The successful Viking 1 and 2 missions of NASA sent two orbiters

and landers in 1975 and they arrived at Mars in 1976.3

Two decades after Viking missions, NASA’s Mars Pathfinder lander/ rover mission launched in 1996 observed rounded

pebbles and sockets in larger rocks suggesting conglomerates that formed in ancient Martian running water. Mars Global

Surveyor (MGS) orbiter of NASA launched on November 7, 1996 detected recent liquid water in hundreds of gullies

including before-and-after pictures of fresh gully-glow deposits in 2005 that had not been present earlier in the mission.

NASA’s Mars Exploration Rover (MER) Opportunity established that rocks under its investigation were formed under

flowing surface water billions of years ago. Images from MER Spirit showed dust devils dancing across the Martian

landscape and shooting into the sky. In 2011, MER Opportunity in its seventh year of Martian exploration found veins of

gypsum deposited by water that might not have been acidic.4

The European Space Agency’s Mars Express Orbiter launched in 2003 has identified exposures of clay minerals that

probably formed in long-lasting, less-acidic wet conditions and traces of atmospheric methane at Mars that might come from

volcanic or biological sources.5 NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) launched in 2005 found evidence of episodic

layering within the polar ice caps and of debris covered ice deposits. A major finding by the radar on MRO is a thick, hidden

layer of carbon-dioxide ice deep in the water ice that forms the bulk of the south pole ice cap. NASA’s Mars Phoenix Lander

mission launched in 2009, detected the chemical perchlorate on the Martian soil and evidence of calcium carbonate at the

landing site that may hold important clues about the history of liquid water on the surface of Mars.6

Launched on November 26, 2011, NASA's Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) spacecraft and its innovative sky crane

landing system placed Curiosity Rover on Mars near the base of Mount Sharp on August 05, 2012. The mountain has

exposed geological layers, including ones identified by Mars orbiters as originating in a wet environment. The MSL mission

found evidence of a past environment well suited to support microbial life from analysis of the first streambed pebble

sample material ever collected by drilling into a rock on Mars. The mission measured natural radiation levels on the trip to

Mars and is monitoring radiation and weather on the surface of Mars, which will be helpful for designing future human

missions to the planet. The MSL mission also found evidence that Mars lost most of its original atmosphere through

processes that occurred at the top of the atmosphere. NASA's next mission, Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution

(MAVEN) orbiter, is being prepared for launch in November 2013 to study those processes in the upper atmosphere.7

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III. INDIAN MARS ORBITER (‘MANGALYAAN’) MISSION

India has an established tradition in the study of mathematics and astronomy since ancient times. In modern India, the

foremost research organization for space science studies is Physical Research Laboratory (PRL) which carries out

fundamental research in key areas of Physics, Space and Atmospheric Sciences, Astronomy, Astrophysics and Solar

Physics, Planetary and Geosciences. Founded in 2007 under the Department of Space (DOS), the Indian Institute of Space

Science and Technology (IIST) is Asia’s first space institute and offers a complete range of programs in space science,

technology and applications. In July 2013, DOS/ ISRO established the Satish Dhawan Aerospace Fellowship at the

California Institute of Technology (Caltech) that enables one aerospace engineering graduate per year from IIST to study at

the Graduate Aerospace Laboratories at Caltech (GALCIT).8

The success of India’s first deep space mission, Chandrayaan-1 in 2008 and with the lessons learned from that mission,

ISRO is gearing up for its next challenging deep space mission, Indian Mars Orbiter (“Mangalyaan”) to be launched in

October/November 2013 by an Indian PSLV-XL (PSLV-C25) Rocket. The official announcement of India’s first

interplanetary mission to Mars was made on August 15, 2012 by the Prime Minister of India Dr. Manmohan Singh on the

Republic of India’s 66th Independence Day during a national address to the citizens from the Red Fort in Delhi.

The primary objective of the first Mars Orbiter Mission is to establish the Indian technological capability to reach the

orbit of Mars. According to Dr. K. Radhakrishnan, Chairman of ISRO, the following are the critical technological

challenges9 that need to be addressed by the Mars Orbiter Mission:

Augmenting the radiation shielding for the spacecraft’s prolonged exposure in the Van Allen belt during the

initial Earth orbit raising maneuvers after launch.

Developing high level of onboard autonomy built within the Mars Orbiter necessitated due to the long range of

55-400 million km from Earth to Mars with a delay of 20 minutes one way.

Most importantly, the robustness and reliability of the propulsion system has to be one order of magnitude higher

after leaving the Earth orbit as it has to work again after almost 300 days for the Mar Orbit Insertion (MOI). The Mars Orbiter (“Mangalyaan”) Mission consists of the following phases: (1) Launch (2) Earth Orbit Maneuvers

(3) Martian Transfer Trajectory (4) Mars Orbit Insertion and (5) Mars Orbit Operations.

Indian Mars Orbiter (“Mangalyaan”) Mission (Credit: ISRO)

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IV. INDIAN MARS ORBITER (“MANGALYAAN”) SPACECRAFT

The Indian Mars Orbiter (“Mangalyaan”) spacecraft is derived from the flight proven Chandrayaan-1 orbiter spacecraft. The

spacecraft structure is an assembly of composite and metallic honeycomb sandwich panels with a central composite

cylinder. It was developed by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) and delivered in September 2012 to ISRO Satellite

Center where the other spacecraft subsystems and payloads were built onto the structure. The cylinder had a bottom ring

with a provision for an interface to the PSLV launch vehicle. The Mars Orbiter has a wet mass of 1,350 kg with the

spacecraft bus system weighing approximately 501 kg.

A unified bi-propellant system will be employed for attitude and orbit control and the critical Mar Orbit Insertion

(MOI) maneuver. It consists of one 440-Newton liquid main engine and eight, 22-Newton thrusters mounted on the negative

roll face of the spacecraft. Two tanks, each with a capacity of 390 liters (a maximum of 850 kg of propellant), similar to

those utilized in the Chandrayaan-1 mission will be used for storing fuel and oxidizer. Additional flow lines and valves have

been incorporated to ensure LE 440 N engine restart after almost 300 days of Martian Transfer Trajectory (MTT) cruise

without any fuel migration issues. ISRO also conducted ground tests of the main engine at the Liquid Propulsion Systems

Center (LPSC) at Mahendragiri in the state of Tamil Nadu in October 2012.10

The heart of the spacecraft, attitude and orbit control subsystem (AOCS) as in the Chandrayaan-1 orbiter spacecraft

utilizes the body stabilized zero momentum system with reaction wheels to provide a stable platform for the Mars mission

science payloads. Together with the propulsion subsystem, AOCS provide the capability of 3-axis attitude control with

thrusters. Accelerometers are included to measure the precise incremental velocity (∆V) and for burn termination. Two Star

sensors, one solar panel Sun sensor, coarse analog Sun sensor with nine heads, and gyros provide attitude control signals in

all phases of the mission. The attitude control thrusters provide the capability during the various phases of the mission such

as Earth orbit raising using liquid motor, attitude maintenance during the long Mars Transfer Trajectory (MTT), orbit

maintenance, and momentum dumping.

Onboard spacecraft autonomy is an essential and new component that is developed for the Indian Mars Orbiter

mission. Autonomy enables fault detection and recovery by the spacecraft as part of the Command & Data Handling

(C&DH) flight software given the vast distance between Earth and Mars and interruptions in communication with Earth.11

A passive thermal control system with multi-layer insulation, optical solar reflectors, thermal coating, isolators and

thermal shields are used as thermal elements. Lessons learned from the premature demise of the Chandrayaan-1 spacecraft

before the planned two years of lunar operations due to thermal control problems are also incorporated by ISRO.

ISRO has completed the development of the Mars Orbiter spacecraft structure and subsystems by April 2013 and the

fabrication of the five flight model science payloads by May 2013. The science payloads are integrated with the spacecraft

by July and testing commenced in August 2013. Separately, the launch vehicle PSLV-XL is being assembled at SDSC by

August/ September 2013. Launch of the Indian Mars Orbiter (“Mangalyaan”) is expected shortly after October 21, 2013.

Indian Mars Orbiter (“Mangalyaan”) Spacecraft (Credit: ISRO)

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V. MARS ORBITER MISSION OPERATIONS

The Indian Mars Orbiter is expected to be launched by the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle XL version (PSLV-C25) to take

advantage of the launch window period (Nov. 18 – Dec. 07, 2013) from the Satish Dhawan Space Center (SDSC) in

Sriharikota Island located in the state of Andhra Pradesh. The PSLV-XL Rocket will place the Mars Orbiter in an elliptical

parking orbit of 250 km x 23,000 km with an inclination of 17.864o. The November 2013 departure conditions require an

additional velocity increment of ~ 1.5 km/sec to enter the Martian Transfer Trajectory (MTT). The orbit of the spacecraft

will be gradually raised to 600 km x 215,000 km by a series of Earth orbit raising maneuvers.12 The spacecraft will enter the

Martian Transfer Trajectory (MTT) after a final perigee burn planned for November 26, 2013.

The spacecraft will leave the Earth’s Sphere of Influence (SOI) at 918,317 km from the surface of the Earth and cruise

to Mars. If necessary, mid-course correction maneuvers will be carried out during the long MTT of almost 300 days. The

spacecraft will arrive at the Mars Sphere of Influence (SOI) around 573,473 km from the surface of Mars. The critical Mar

Orbit Insertion (MOI) will be achieved by performing a deboost maneuver of ~ 1.1 km/sec at the periapsis of the arrival

hyperbolic trajectory. According to ISRO, the cumulative incremental velocity required by the Mars Orbiter spacecraft for

achieving the planned 372 km x 80,000 km elliptical Martian orbit is 2.592 km/sec. The targeted mission life is 6-10 months

after the MOI targeted for September 21, 2014.13

A single solar array with three solar panels deployed after launch form the primary power source for the Indian Mars

Orbiter generating 750 W at Mars. Given the lower solar irradiance at Mars’ mean distance from Sun (590 W/m2 at Mars

compared to 1350 W/m2 at Earth), the spacecraft’s three solar panels have a size of 1,400 mm x 1,800 mm. A single 36 Ah

Lithium-Ion battery similar to the Chandrayaan-1 mission will be carried onboard as a secondary power source to take care

of eclipses encountered during the Earth and Mars orbit operations. The circular dish attached to one face of the spacecraft bus is a 2.2 m diameter high-gain antenna (HGA) for receiving

and transmitting radio signals when the spacecraft is a long way from the Earth. The Telemetry, Tracking and Command

(TTC) communication will be in S-band utilizing the Low Gain Antennas (LGA), which allow omnidirectional transmission

and reception during Launch and Early Operations Phase. X-Band provides a high rate data downlink and uplink while

in Mars orbit. NASA/ JPL have agreed to provide communication and navigation support for the Indian Mars Orbiter.

The Mars Orbiter mission ground segment consists of the following four main entities:

Mission Operations Complex (MOX),

Indian Deep Space Network (ISDN),

Indian Space Science Data Centre (ISSDC), and

Payload Operations Centre (POC).

ISRO Mission Operations Complex (MOX) is located at Peenya campus of ISTRAC near Bangalore in the state of

Karnataka. MOX has facilities such as the Main Control Room, the Mission Analysis Room, Mission Planning and Flight

Dynamics, the Mission Scheduling and Payload Scheduling Facility. Mission and spacecraft specialists along with the

operations crew from ISTRAC carry out operations from the MOX.

Indian Deep Space Network (IDSN) consisting of 11-m, 18-m and a 32-m antennae were established at the IDSN

campus in Byalalu near Bangalore as part of the Chandrayaan-1 mission ground segment. The IDSN station will receive the

Mars Orbiter spacecraft health data as well as the payload data. For the orbit raising phase, the TTC functions will be

executed by ground stations at ISTRAC network (Bangalore, Mauritius, Port Blair, Brunei, Biak, Trivandrum), JPL DSN

(Goldstone, Canberra, and Madrid), and sea-borne terminals.14

Indian Space Science Data Center (ISSDC) is a new facility established by ISRO for the Chandrayaan-1 and future

deep space missions, as the primary data center for the payload data archives of Indian Space Science Missions. This data

center, located at the Indian Deep Space Network (IDSN) campus in Bangalore, is responsible for the ingestion, archive, and

dissemination of the payload data and related ancillary data for the Space Science missions. ISSDC interfaces with Mission

Operations Complex (MOX) through dedicated communication links, Data reception centers, Payload designers, Payload

operations centers, Principal investigators, Mission software developers and Science data users.

Payload Operation Centres (POCs) focus on the higher levels of science data processing, planning of payload

operations, performance assessment of the payload and payload calibration. These centers are co-located with the

institutions/laboratories of the Instrument designers, Principal Investigators and will be processing and analyzing data from a

specific payload. POCs will pull relevant payload (level 0 and level 1) and ancillary data sets from the ISSDC dissemination

server and process the data to generate higher level products. These products will be archived in ISSDC after qualification.

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VI. MARS ORBITER SCIENCE PAYLOADS

India’s first interplanetary mission to Mars has a well-developed scientific agenda to advance our current understanding of

the planet Mars, although the primary focus of the mission is technological. ISRO’s ADCOS review committee selected five

science instruments from a short-list of close to a dozen payloads proposed by the Indian scientific community.15

The scientific objectives of the Indian Mars Orbiter mission can be broadly categorized as follows:

Exploration of the surface features by studying Martian morphology, topography and mineralogy.

Study of the constituents of Martian atmosphere (ex: CO2, Methane) using remote sensing techniques.

Study of the dynamics of upper atmosphere of Mars, effects of solar winds and radiation and the escape of

volatiles to space.

The compact scientific instruments with a total mass of about 15 kg carried onboard the first Indian Mars Orbiter

mission and their science objectives are provided in the table below:

The Space Application Center (SAC) of ISRO has provided four of the five payloads for the mission. Vikram Sarabhai

Space Center (VSSC) has provided the fifth payload, namely, Martian Exospheric Composition Explorer (MENCA).

The science payloads of the Indian Mars Orbiter were selected to further our knowledge and understanding of the Red

Planet by utilizing electro-optical remote sensing instruments. ISRO has proven experience in the design and development

of remote sensing instruments through the Indian Remote Sensing (IRS) series of satellites for Earth observation.

Engineering Models of Science Payloads for the Indian Mars Orbiter (Credit: ISRO)

Payload Mass

(kg)

Primary Scientific Objective

Lyman Alpha Photometer (LAP) 1.5 Escape processes of Mars upper atmosphere through

Deuterium/Hydrogen

Methane Sensor for MARS (MSM) 3.6 Detect presence of Methane

Martian Exospheric Composition

Explorer (MENCA)

4.3 Study the neutral composition of the Martian upper atmosphere

MARS Color Camera (MCC) 1.4 Optical imaging

TIR imaging spectrometer (TIS) 4.0 Map surface composition and mineralogy

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a) Lyman Alpha Photometer (LAP) – an absorption cell photometer. It measures the relative abundance of deuterium

and hydrogen (D/H ratio) based on absorption spectra of Lyman-α lines of D and H in the upper atmosphere of

Mars. LAP consists of an UV detector equipped with gas filled pure molecular hydrogen and deuterium cells with

tungsten filaments that are located between an objective lens and a detector. The science objectives of LAP are (a)

Estimation of D/H ratio (b) Estimation of escape flux of H2 corona and (c) Generation of Hydrogen and Deuterium

coronal profiles. 16

Nominal plan is to operate LAP between the ranges of ~ 3,000 km before Mars periapsis to 3,000 km after Mars

periapsis (~ 60 min per orbit).

b) Mars Exospheric Neutral Composition Analyzer (MENCA) – a quadrapole mass spectrometer covering the mass

range of 1-300 amu with a mass resolution of 0.5 amu. The scientific objective of MENCA is to explore the Martian

Exosphere (>= 400 from the surface of Mars) neutral density and composition at an altitude of ~500 km and above

from the surface of Mars and to examine its radial, diurnal, and seasonal variations. The study of Martian exosphere

is important for understanding the escape rate of Martian atmosphere and its impact on Mars’ climate change. The

low inclination of the Mars Orbiter is expected to provide an opportunity to encounter one of the Martian moons,

Phobos and hence allow for an estimation of the upper limits of the neutral density distribution around it. The

heritage of this payload is the Chandra’s Altitudinal Composition Explorer (CHACE) payload aboard the Moon

Impact Probe (MIP) in Chandrayaan-1 mission launched by ISRO in 2008. 17

ISRO plans to operate MENCA to perform five observations per orbit, 1 h/observation.

c) Methane Sensor for Mars (MSM) – a Fabry-Perot Etalon sensor to measure CH4 at several ppb (parts per billion)

level and map its sources. MSM data is acquired only over the illuminated scene as the sensor measures reflected

solar radiation. Some of the NASA missions and Mars Express have found traces of Methane in Martian

atmosphere. The three possible sources for Methane at Mars: (a) cometary impacts (b) geological and (c) biology.

ISRO plans to collect MSM global data during every orbit.

d) Mars Color Camera (MCC) – a Sony camera adapted to take optical imaging of the Red Planet and its natural

satellites. MCC imaging of the topography of Mars with a GIFOV of 25 m and a frame size of ~ 50 km x 50 km.

MCC will also provide the context information for the other science payloads onboard the Mars Orbiter. MCC

images are to be acquired whenever MSM and TIS data is acquired.

Seven apoareion images of the entire disc and multiple periareion images are planned to be taken in every orbit.

e) Thermal Infrared Imaging Spectrometer (TIS) – an infrared mapping spectrometer to provide map of composition

and mineralogy of the Martian surface. It uses a 120 x 160 element bolometer array as detector and consist of fore

optics, slit, collimating optics, grating and reimaging optics. TIS will also monitor atmospheric CO2 and turbidity

(required for the correction of MSM data).

ISRO plans to downlink science payloads data of every orbit during each single orbital period of 76 h around Mars from the

372 km x 80,000 km of the Indian Mars Orbit. The Indian Space Science Data Center (ISSDC) facilitates science data

processing, archival, and dissemination functions for scientists. ISSDC also provides data archives in the Planetary Data

Systems (PDS) format, an international standard.

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VII. FINDINGS AND CONCLUSION

Indian Space Program (ISP) began in 1962 and was formalized with the founding of Indian Space Research Organization

(ISRO) in 1969. The vision of the Indian Space Program is utilization of space assets for national development while

pursuing space research and planetary exploration.

ISRO carries out the vision of ISP through the following programs: (a) Earth Observation – Indian Remote Sensing

(IRS) Satellites, (b) Telecommunications & Weather – Indian National Satellites (INSAT), (c) Navigation – Indian

Regional Navigational Satellite System (IRNSS) and (d) Planetary Exploration & Space Science missions.

The success of India’s first deep space mission to Moon, Chandrayaan-1 launched in 2008 that carried five Indian and

six international scientific instruments heralded a new era in Indian Space Program (ISP) with dedicated Planetary

Exploration and Space Science missions as key components of the Indian Space Vision.

ISRO also learned several lessons from the premature demise of the Chandrayaan-1 spacecraft within 312 days of the

intended two years of lunar operations. These were mainly in the areas of high radiation tolerance for electronic

components, thermal management systems, importance of redundant and miniaturized sensors.

On August 15, 2012, the 66th Indian Independence Day, the Prime Minister of India officially announced the Indian Mars

Orbiter (“Mangalyaan”) mission scheduled to be launched by an uprated PSLV rocket (PSLV-XL) in October/

November 2013. The 1,350 kg mass spacecraft will carry five scientific payloads weighing 15 kg.

Mars Orbiter spacecraft will be gradually raised from the initial launch orbit of 250 km x 23,000 km to 600 km x

215,000 km by a series of Earth orbit raising maneuvers. The spacecraft will enter the Martian Transfer Trajectory

(MTT) after a final perigee burn planned for November 26, 2013. The critical Mars Orbit Insertion (MOI) by firing the

Main Engine is planned for September 21, 2014 to place the orbiter in 372 km x 80,000 km above the surface of Mars.

The primary objective of India’s first interplanetary to Mars is technological. ISRO has identified the following as high-

risk challenges facing the mission: (a) Communication with the spacecraft given the long delay of up to 20 minutes one-

way from the Martian orbit (b) Mars Orbit Insertion (MOI) maneuver utilizing the Main Engine restart after a nearly

300 day journey at Martian periapsis and (c) Navigation of the spacecraft from Earth orbit to the Martian Transfer

Trajectory (MTT) and achieving the intended final orbit of 372 km x 80,000 km above the surface of Mars.

A Technology Risk – Dependency Structure Matrix (TR-DSM) generated for the Indian Mars Orbiter (“Mangalyaan”)

Mission highlighted several high-risk development components/ subsystems: (a) Main Engine (b) Thermal Control

(c) Flight Software for onboard automation, and (d) Electronics and sensors for deep space communication &

navigation.18

The Mars Orbiter spacecraft’s five science instruments were selected by ISRO’s ADCOS review committee to further

our knowledge and understanding of Mars. These payloads are planned to conduct remote sensing of Martian surface

and study its upper atmosphere through in-situ measurements.

ISRO is planning several dedicated space science and planetary exploration missions in the near future. A multi-

wavelength space observatory mission, ASTROSAT-1 is scheduled for launch by a PSLV Rocket in 2014. The

Chandrayaan-2 follow-up mission with a configuration of a lunar orbiter and a lander module with a rover is planned for

a launch by an indigenous GSLV Rocket in 2016-17.

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of Technology, Warangal, India, September 15, 2011. 10A. Lee, “Mission Mars: India’s Quest for the Red Planet”, Springer Briefs in Applied Science and Technology, 2014. 11George J. Cancro, “APL Spacecraft Autonomy: Then, Now and Tomorrow”, Johns Hopkins APL Technology Digest,

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URL: http://www.isro.org/pdf/Annual%20Report%202012-13.pdf [accessed August 15, 2013]. 14G.R. Hathwar, “IDSN Story”, Publications and Public Relations ISRO, Bangalore, 2009. 15J.N. Goswami and K. Radhakrishnan, “Indian Mission to Mars”, 44th Lunar and Planetary Science Conference,

Woodlands, Texas, October 2013. 16Viswanathan M., et.al, “Design, Fabrication and Testing of a Lyman Alpha Photometer for D/H Studies of Mars Upper

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