On 24th September 2014, India created history by entering the orbit of Mars in its first attempt. Nine years later, Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has begun preparation for a second Mars Mission : Mars Orbiter Mission – 2, informally known as Mangalyaan – 2.
As per reports, ISRO is preparing another spacecraft for the Mars mission and will be sending Mangalyaan- 2 to the planet very soon.
Mangalyaan- 2
Mars Orbiter Mission 2 (MOM), unofficially known as Mangalyaan- 2 is the developing second mission to Mars. The previous mission was called Mars Orbiter Mission (MOM), Informally known as Mangalyaan which was a space probe orbiting mars since 24th September 2014.
In 2021, The Chairman of ISRO spoke in an interview about Mangalyaan- 2 in which he clarified that the mission will solely consist of an orbiter.
Objectives of the Mission
After the success of Chandrayaan- 3 and the ongoing Aditya- L1 mission, the Indian Space Agency is gearing up to visit Mars the second time, ISRO is sending another spacecraft to discover more about the Red planet.
Mangalyaan- 2 will be launched to study the high altitude regions of Mars.The payloads on the spacecraft which are under development will help to study solar energy particles and supra thermal wind particles.
The equipments onboard will also study the environment, atmosphere and interplanetary dust particles of Mars.
Payloads
According to reports, the spacecraft will carry four payloads which will perform different scientific experiments. The four payloads will include – Mars Orbit Dust Experiment (MODEX) which is designed to observe and understand the mysteries of High altitude regions of Mars in terms of movement of particles and their abundance. Radio Occultation (RO) experiment, this instrument will measure the electron density profiles and determine the atmosphere of the Red planet.
Energetic Ion Spectrometer (EIS), the EIS instrument is currently under development which will be designed to study the solar energy particles and supra thermal wind particles. Langmuir Probe and Electric Field Experiment (LEPX), these instruments will study the electron density, electron temperature and electric field waves. The LEPX will consist of a Langmuir probe (LP) and two electric fields (EF).
History
On 5th November 2013, Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) launched Mars Orbiter Mission, unofficially as Mangalyaan. It was also India’s first interplanetary mission and the fourth space agency to reach Mars orbit after NASA, Roscosmos and the European Space Agency. The space probe has been orbiting the Red planet since 24th September 2014.
The Mars Orbiter Mission was launched from Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh by Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV).
The scientific objectives of the mission were to explore Mars surface features by studying morphology, topography and mineralogy, Examine the atmosphere of Mars using remote sensing techniques and to observe the upper atmosphere of Mars, solar wind and radiation.
The total cost of the mission was around Rs 450 Crores.
On 2nd october, the Space agency reported lost connections with the orbiter after it entered the long eclipse period in April 2022.
And after 9 years, ISRO is gearing to launch a second mission namely Mars Orbiter Mission, informally as Mangalyaan- 2.
Mangalyaan- 2 Launch and Status
ISRO is planning to launch the spacecraft in 2024 and the mission is under development.
ISRO’s chief S. Somnath said that if the speculations and claims come true then it will be another big project for the Space Agency and they are also planning to explore another planet Venus and the mission is called ‘Shukrayaan‘.
