India's Mars Orbiter successfully enters Red Planet orbit, PM congratulates

With this, Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) joined an an elite group, of only three other agencies worldwide to have successfully reached red planet.

According to ISRO, the spacecraft Successfully entered Martian Orbit and the Burn Start of Main Liquid Engine was confirmed.

Mangalyaan also transmitted the first pictures from Mars.

NASA also congratulated India on the success while Australian engineers and technicians working at the CSIRO-managed Canberra Deep Space Communication Complex (CDSCC) in regional Australia, who played a critical role in confirming the successful first phase of India’s Mars Orbiter Mission (MOM), also commended India.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi  congratulated scientists at the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and also fellow Indians on the historic success of India’s Mars mission - Mangalyaan.

Speaking at the ISRO’s mission control centre in Bangalore, PM Modi said that India is the only country to have succeeded to reach the red planet in its first attempt.

“We have achieved the near impossible. ISRO has joined an elite group. We have gone beyond boundaries of human imagination… MOM [ Mars Orbiter Mission] has been united with Mars. MOM never disappoints… We have dared to reach out into the unknown,” Modi said.

He said with the spectacular success of its Mars mission ISRO joined an elite group of only three other agencies worldwide to have successfully reached the planet.

“Our efforts have historically focused on ultimate objective of nation-building, of translating space technology into space applications…Through your achievements you have honoured our fore-fathers, and inspired our future generations. Through your brilliance, and hard work, you have made it a habit, of achieving the impossible,” the PM said, adding that no one represents the zeal for exploring the unknown more than India’s space scientists at ISRO.

The PM said humanity would not progress if such leaps had not been taken into the unknown.

“Success is the courage to take the decision to take a big risk. Atal ji’s vision has inspired us to reach for the moon…This must become the base for challenging the next frontier. Let today’s success drive us with even greater vigor,” he said.