Orbiter sends back first pictures

Prime Minister will get first look before releasing them to the press

Prime Minister Narendra Modi (L) congratulates K. Radhakrishnan, head of ISRO, after India's Mars Obiter successfully entered the red planet's orbit. Photo: Reuters

The colour camera, on board India’s spacecraft to Mars, has beamed back about 10 pictures of the Red Planet’s surface which show some craters.

The camera was the first of the five instruments on board to be switched on a few hours after India’s Mars mission made history on Wednesday by entering the planet’s orbit. The other instruments will become operational one by one in the next few days.

The first pictures were received by the Indian Space Science Data Centre at Byalalu village, about 40 km from Bangalore.

Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) officials said the pictures were of “good quality.” They will be presented to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday before being released to the press, the officials said.