The Mars Orbiter Mission (MOM) or Mangalyaan-2 is an upcoming mission by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). It is expected to launch in 2024.
The Mangalyaan-2 mission is expected to carry four payloads:
- Mars Orbit Dust Experiment (MODEX) Measures the origin, abundance, distribution, and flux at high altitudes on Mars
- Scientific instruments Study aspects of Mars, including interplanetary dust, the Martian atmosphere, and the environment
The Mangalyaan-2 mission is expected to use aerobraking to reduce apoapsis of its initial orbit and reach an altitude more suitable for scientific observation.
The Mangalyaan-2 mission differs from NASA’s Mars missions in a few ways, including:
- Cost: The Mangalyaan-2 mission was executed at a fraction of the cost of similar missions, including NASA’s Mars missions
- Payloads: The Mangalyaan-2 mission is expected to carry four payloads
- Scientific instruments: The Mangalyaan-2 mission is expected to carry scientific instruments to study aspects of Mars, including interplanetary dust, the Martian atmosphere, and the environment
The Mangalyaan-2 mission’s purpose is to gather more data about Mars. The mission will study aspects of Mars, including:
Interplanetary dust, The Martian atmosphere, The environment, Surface features, Morphology, Mineralogy.
The Mangalyaan-2 mission will consist of an orbital probe only, and the planned lander was canceled. The probe will be equipped with:
- A hyperspectral camera
- A very high resolution black and white camera
- A radar
The Mangalyaan-2 mission is India’s second interplanetary mission and second mission to Mars. The first mission, Mangalyaan, successfully entered Mars orbit on September 23, 2014, making ISRO only the fourth space agency in the world to do so.
The Mangalyaan mission had several advantages, including:
- First Asian country to reach Mars India became the first Asian country to reach Mars’ orbit, and the first country to do so on its first attempt.
- Cheapest mission to Mars The Mangalyaan mission was lauded for being the cheapest mission to Mars to date.
- Developing technologies The mission helped India develop technologies for exploring the inner solar system.
- Inspiring people The success of the mission inspired people across India.
- Attracting technology talent Successful missions like Mangalyaan help India attract and retain technology talent.
- Demonstrating capability The mission demonstrated India’s capability and maturity in undertaking such initiatives.
- Increased collaboration The mission could lead to increased collaboration and business opportunities.
The Mars Orbiter Mission (MOM), also known as Mangalyaan, sent information about Mars’ surface features, morphology, mineralogy, and atmosphere. The mission also discovered “suprathermal” Argon-40 atoms in the Martian exosphere, which may provide clues about how the atmosphere of Mars escapes.
The mission’s scientific payloads included:
- Mars Color Camera (MCC)
- Methane Sensor for Mars (MSM)
- Lyman Alpha Photometer (LAP)
- Thermal Infrared Imaging Spectrometer (TIS)
- Mars Exospheric Neutral Composition Analyser (MENCA)
The mission’s objectives were to:
- Explore Mars surface features, morphology, mineralogy, and atmosphere
- Use remote sensing techniques to explore the Martian atmosphere, including methane and CO2
- Develop technologies required for planning, designing, management, and operations of an interplanetary mission
Universe discoveries 