Making the first formal announcement on the country’s Mars mission, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Wednesday said India will send a mission to the Red Planet that will mark a huge step in the area of science and technology.
“Recently, the Cabinet has approved the Mars Orbiter Mission. Under this Mission, our spaceship will go near Mars and collect important scientific information,” he said addressing the nation from the ramparts of the Red Fort on the occasion of the 66th Independence Day.
“This spaceship to Mars will be a huge step for us in the area of science and technology,” Dr. Singh said.
India will be the sixth country to launch a mission to the Red Planet after the U.S., Russia, Europe, Japan and China.
If the mission is successful, India will be the first Asian country to do so as probes sent by China and Japan had to be abandoned en route.
As per the proposal drawn up by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), the Rs. 450 crore Mars Orbiter Mission is expected to be launched in November next year with a 25 kg scientific payload.
The mission, to study the Martian atmosphere, will be launched by an extended version of ISRO’s warhorse rocket — the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) from the spaceport in Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh.
The spacecraft is expected to take nearly 300 days to reach the Martian orbit.
The spacecraft will be placed in an orbit of 500 x 80,000 km around Mars and has a tentative scientific objective for studying the climate, geology, origin, evolution and sustainability of life on the planet.
Scientific payloads for the Mars Orbiter Mission have been short-listed by ISRO’s Advisory Committee for Space Sciences (ADCOS) review committee.
Baseline, solar array and reflector configuration of the satellite have been finalised, officials said.
If the ISRO fails to launch the Mars Mission next year, other opportunities are available in 2016 and 2018.
The Prime Minister also congratulated scientists and technologists who have enhanced the prestige of the country by successfully testing the Agni V Missile and launching the RISAT-I Satellite in space this year.
The Union Cabinet, at a meeting on August 4, 2012 had approved the Mars Orbiter Mission, but an official announcement was not made then as it was to be part of the Prime Minister’s Independence Day address.
Keywords: India Mars mission, Mars Orbiter Mission, ISRO, Advisory Committee for Space Sciences, Manmohan Singh, 66th Independence Day
For all those people who are arguing that the Mars mission is not necessary as the money spent there can be better spent on better things. I have to say this; India has enough money, the thing which should be put on halt is not the Mars mission, all we need to do now is ways to find out how to curb corruption, I am telling you, 50% of the India's wealth is wasted because of corruption, Lets tackle that before we speak about not doing something something which has to be done.
what a great news..!! few elite class countries have this indegnious technology and capability..to launch such a great MARS MISSION. my BHARAT is now one of them. instead of the myopic view we must develop our imaginative power and look beyond the limits to break them as the future depends on DEVELOPMENT be it in any field..! definitly the mission is going to change the future of country like the previous missions and will have a huge impact on every sector of society. scientific temper is going to increase in the country the benefits of which will percolate to the most lower strata of the society and will change everything..what will be required is time and trust of people..on the people devoting their day and night in research to make the nation A LEADER of the WORLD!!!!
I completely agree with the opinion that the money being used here should be spend for other purposes that are demanding immediate attention. India being a developing country at this phase, does not need to spend such chunks of money on soace missions.
When people compare science and food/poverty...let me make this
statement also.......If people of India think that we should not invest
in science exploration only because our other infrastructures are
insufficient, please know that each and every field is alloted money,
it is also responsibility of the citizen to treat it properly....as a
fellow reader commented here- many of us have life worse than pets of
developed world, may i counter that argument with a fact that even pets
of developed world don't urinate on street walks. So let us not compare
what they have and we don't. First think to change is our attitude
towards our society. We ourselves are so much irresponsible towards
government property, why do we even dare ask the government...it is
also made up of people of same background like us...if we are
uncultured so are they.
back to topic-the way environment is suffering we may not have a planet
to live on in future.
This is great news.
Space programme in India, is the most cost-effective in the world, and the rewards far
outweigh the expense.
Instead, India should focus on low cost commercial aircrafts that haul people and goods. There is a tremendous growth in this sector not only in emerging markets, but also in rich countries. There is a promising market for small family size private planes in rich countries, that is likely to supplement family sedans and minivans.
The benefits of scientific research will be felt everywhere. These are the type of goals the country needs to set itself. We should do the water and wastewater processing as well - one cannot substitute for the other. These plans can set us on the right path than the diversions of likes of Anna Hazare and Swamies...
That sounds really great, I am really proud that my country is sending a mission to mars. But, please dont ask me if more than 40 % of my fellow country men are indulged in open defecation!
I love my country. Jai hind.
Space Technology has reached each of the common man through the spread of communication technology, Direct to Home Television, the availability of ATMs everywhere, and remote sensing applications are helping the common man in so many fields incluidng wheather forcasting, envirionmental study, agriculture. It is necessary that India goes beyond these routine applications and spend a part of its capabilities on explorations. In this direction, the effort of ISRO is laudable. Mars mission will enhance the communication cabapilities of India to a much higher level. The value of "INDIA" brand is flourishing around the world since ISRO has demonstrated that Indian technology is one of the best in the world. More and more students are now turning towards research in basic science. After Chandrayaan-1, India is now being invited to be a member of all international committees of astronautics, which was an exclusive club of a limited countries.
Though it's not annoying to see many people voting against for the mission, one point that needs to be understood by them is that these missions are really essential. Had we not been giving importance to such Science and Technological missions, we would have been still writing letters over the paper with fountain pens and posting to the editor unlike typing comments over internet, which was a boon of our satellite missions.
And coming to improving the life of Aam aadmi, government just has to prevent corruption.
I have been an academic in both USA and now UK and rejoice at this. This is the type of support Indian institutes need to have to develop indigenous research capability. If India can send missions to moon and mars, there is no reason it cannot build and maintain cutting edge institues in engineering and biomedical research. There is no point in building multiple ISRO's. Similarly, it is not important to build numerous institutes but provide full support to institutions that have already made an international mark, like the IITs and IISCs.
When crores of people dont have the access to food, education, health
care, sanitation, etc., do we need this? Dont the policy makers and politicians have some pity for the poorest of poor who suffer daily?
Every decision nowadays is populist measures and vote bank politics.
No one cares about economy and people. Hope some sense will prevail in the future at least...
Glad that most of the above comments say the same thing. Does this simple logic escape the famous economist Manmohan Singh? Or is it again compulsions of coalition politics?
come on people...
support our mother nation in all her ventures...
"All the best to ISRO... Go on... win in this mission... I strongly believe that ISRO uses the money allotted to you by our government without involving any malpractices... salute to you. Go ahead with your duty"
Hon'ble Prime Minister ji why dont you launch missions to improve quality of life for the people of our Nation that would eradicate poverty?
To all those people who believe we need to tackle corruption, poverty, malnutrition, poluted Ganga etc etc before we think of Mars : None of these jobs can be completed in Rs 450 crore in a nation of 121 crore people. You think you can end poverty by giving Rs 3.7 to every Indian??? Think before you speak. Mars mission will be a small achievement today but important enough for future generations & their confidence. By the way even USA is not free of poverty, corruption otherwise how they suffer such high recession if not for disastrous economic policies stemming from political corruption.
I have no idea why people are so against space technology. This is an
example of shallow thinking. Space technology is one of the solutions
to remove poverty. Technological advancement allows ISRO to launch
satellites for other countries bringing in millions of dollars. ISRO
can carry payload to space station in future. India can offer
satellite launch services, cargo services, outsourcing of scientific
research from other countries to India. There are also benefits of
accurate weather forecasting, deforestation monitoring, monitoring of
enemy and terrorists, floods, Maoist movements, mapping of terrain,
wildlife tracking, TV and Radio transmission, phones, all other
telecommunication, telemedicine, our own GPS system and million other
things. Remember, if we don't develop our own technology then someone
will and we will have to then buy from them just like we buy expensive
fighter aircraft for $450 miilion USD a piece. ISRO is profitable and
not taking away money from poor.
This is a good thing to do (In terms of India being a powerful nation globally) but at the same time I wish that the other domestic areas of concerns that are mentioned by fellow members above like Farmer's, Mal nutrition, cleaning Ganga etc should be considered and given priority.
Beautiful. Way to go. Global technology leadership will spawn new avenues for growth and will help everyone in the longer term. This is a short term sacrifice and with the talent and passion this country has, it will pay off. Remember -- no pain, no gain.
Most of the comments do not favour the action of the government to clear the Mars mission on the ground of poverty and incompletion of other human necessities. instinct for exploration purued through scientific ventures is the hall mark of the human species. In fact, all the nations identified as developed nations have agressively and consistently insisted on this approach. Such approach has perched them on the top among the polity of nations. On the contrary, indifference to science and technology has kept other nations including India poor. Let us learn from the past mistakes and accordingly support and congratukate the government for having cleared such a programme. I am also sure that space exploration will have huge commercial spin offs in not so distant future. Such and other such shared goals among vast section of the citizenry brings pride and paves way for patriortism- another ingradient for devlopment of a nation. All of us should, therefore, support the mission. Malik
Wow so many negative comments here. Typical Indian mentality. Yes, India has poverty and it needs urgent attention but the budget allocated for this mission is not much. Its around 80 million dollars. Now comparing this amount to the 10 billion dollars promised to the IMF by India for bailing out Europe it's peanuts!
So,when you can spend money to help out (rich)people, I think it is ok to spend money on our space program.It will help us develop our own technology.I as an Indian am proud of the ISRO. I wish them all the sucess and luck in the future. Happy independence day. jai hind!
We need people at the helm to govern, thinking what is good for us. In management sense, we need people to think independently a solution for our problems without trying to copy any model from the developed countries. You may do a cross check on any gaps in your plan subsequently.We have gotten into the rut of copying styles verbatum even in our policies and legislations. It is high time, to position right guys who have the pulse of ground realities and could carve out implementatable, simple and straight forward shemes. People are running out of patience. Strategy to curtail expenditures, spending on infrastructure with results, plugging loopholes in draining of funds towards welfare measures, encouraging corporates with sole motto of maximising livelihood of crores of people are need of the hour.
while other nations are predicting economy downslide, we need to devise our own model. this is theneed of the hour.
It is tough for a country like India to decide on priorities where we
have brilliant scientific minds and adverse poverty at the same time.
The missions like these are not complete waste of money, but a spending
like this at this point of time when we have economic turmoil. Is this
a right decision to make? I hope the government had put enough thought
about its spending and its implications. All the best for this bold
step ahead!!
All the best ISRO. All our good mission on space mission were on GSLV's.
To my knowledge PSLV's had failed us. I understand only PSLV has the
technology, lets learn from the mistakes and make this happen.
Movement is vital. Mighty India keeps on moving. Let's wish success to our Mars Orbiter Mission.
India is still backwards due to the people who think money is been
wasted on scientific discoveries . The money been spent by India is 3%
of the amount been spent by NASA . This attitude is the cause for
lagging behind . Please encourage the people who look into the future
unlike you guys who want toilets and all. The free toilets now been
installed are made by DRDO for Indian Armed Forces . In the same way
the spin offs from scientific research will reach the people when and
where required . Hate the defeatist attitude of the people commenting
over this .
Good! India will send a mission to the Red Planet that will mark a huge step in the area of science and technology next year. We hope by that time, the Government would be able to solve the ground problems like corruption, power supply, poverty, Mal-nutrition etc.etc.
First Please use that money to provide regular electricity to every State and Good food to poor people, then you decide on Mar mission. Also why our government gave $10 billion (about Rs.57,000 crore) to Italy to resolve Euro-zone issue - everyone pls think and support
What poor Indians need isn't Mars Mission. The quality of life in India is worse than the quality of life pets have in developed countires.
am so excited to learn that the Indian Mars mission is on the go mode
.Have been entertaining an idea seeing our political class's
enthusiasm to take off on foreign tour at the drop of hat ,whyn't send
MPs from treasury/opposition on the more foreign land like Mangal
Grah ,those refusing to go are to be dropped/deprived of future
participation in all govt. activities .Ramdev and Anna should start
andolan asking govt. to make them go or bear all expenses incurred in
this expedition from their swiss banks' a/c. Somehow that money can be
utilized for the sake of country.am sure they will readily give up
colored money than giving up their lordship .
If it for any thing good, then i feel i am proud of being an Indian. I
feel so happy.
Indian space mission in the always had a concrete social purpose.
Besides the primary purposes such as meteorology, remote sensing etc.,
many of the technologies developed at ISRO had been put to use in
fields such as medicine, etc.,
While I agree that despite being a poor nation we need to make
investments at all levels; I just hope that they don't go overboard
with the space missions that doesn't have any social purpose.
We can always pursue missions that has international significance in
partnership with other nations. The utmost priority should be
investments that address directly or indirectly the people who die of
hunger in this country.
Respected PM there are hungry deaths being reported daily in our country. The Mission to Mars will not change the common mans life in any ways. If something is done with that money so that every poor hidustani can have stomach full of food for atleast one time a day is good I feel.
With this mission Bharat will defnitely join in the list of country's working on Mars. But, before this mission if we try delist our coutry's name from the list of countrys having hunger deaths will be good.
When you are sending something so far, then make a better attempt to
make a rover land on Mars and plant some tough form of life on that
planet such as Aloe Vera, cacti, and other seeds and spores of life
which depend upon Carbon Dioxide and less water/moisture to survive and
convert atmospheric carbon dioxide into oxygen for human or animal life
sustenance. Select only desert plant life such as palms etc... to begin
with and then life find its ways on its own......
forget about mars... Leave it to Americans...think of clean water to all... Toilets to everyone... Food for all... Education for all.... Good governance... Then probably u can consider mars
India has so many burning problems which need to be addressed immediately. Though scientific research is needed for a country's development, sending unmanned spacecraft to mars is not the right idea. There are other fields in which the tax money can be put to better use. Just because China and Japan have done, India need not follow suit. Even America has cut funds to NASA in this recessionary period.
Millions of Indians are living in abject poverty but our administrators justify spending billions of dollars on such fancy programmes. What point they are trying to prove here. Consecutive Indian leadership has failed it masses and will continue to do so.
From my school days, reading a book entitled Sooriyan, which was, in fact, about the solar system, wondering if there were canals on Mars created by intelligent creatures, through my college days doing astronomy, looking forward to the day of India's successful Mars Mission has been a long journey. All the best to ISRO
Why do we need to waste money in Science missions, when our economy is in the worst condition? Why does our PM think people will be interested in these kind of stupid action from the government? If the government is not ready to solve problems for the people, then paying tax is a waste from the people's side.
How about a mission to ensure Ganges is cleaned and food grains procured do not rot away in FCI warehouse? Hard to do? Then in that case how about taking 2 of the most corrupt ministers of UPA and put them as payload in this Mars mission?
Please Email the Editor