Bangalore: Bangalore: The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) on Wednesday unveiled its much awaited Mars mission space craft. The launch of the space craft is likely to happen in late October or early in November from Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh. The spacecraft is expected to reach Mars in September 2014.
This will be an unmanned mission like the Chandrayan of 2008. There will be no astronauts on board.
The Mars mission is aimed at technology demonstration which is involved in orbiting. ISRO also wants to do imaging and analysis as well as find out if life existed on Mars.
"The spacecraft for our maiden Mars mission is ready for launch between October 21 and November 19 on board a rocket with five instruments to conduct various experiments while orbiting the red planet after a nine-month voyage," ISRO satellite centre director SK Shivkumar said at a preview of the orbiter in Bangalore.
The country's tryst with the red planet will cost the state-run ISRO Rs 450 crore, including Rs 150 crore for the spacecraft, Rs 110 crore for the rocket and Rs 190 crore to augment the ground stations for the mission's operations.
"The spacecraft has been built in a record 12 months to orbit around Mars for at least six months at a distance of 375 km from its surface and 80,000 km when away elliptically," Mars orbiter mission project director S Arunan said.
After final configuration and testing, the 1,340 kg spacecraft (at lift-off) will be shipped to the spaceport on September 27 for integrating it with the 350-tonne rocket, which is an extended version of the space agency's workhorse-polar satellite launch vehicle (PSLV-XL).
"The launch date and timing of lift-off will be decided during the one-month window, based on weather conditions and other critical parameters," Arunan said.
(With Additional Information From PTI)
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