Mars Orbiter Mission or Mangalyaan
"A Hollywood movie costs more," said a delighted Prime Minister
Narendra Modi today, not for the first time. He was at the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) in Bangalore to watch history being made as India put its Mars Orbiter Mission, Mangalyaan into the red planet's orbit this morning.
(See pics)Not only is India the first country to succeed in its maiden attempt, but many across the world have also been wonder-struck at the low cost of the mission.
(PM Modi Hails Historic Achievement)This golden satellite, approximately the size of a Nano car, and the entire Mars Orbiter Mission have been made ready at a record cost of Rs. 450 crore or nearly $67 million.
Put together by ISRO in a record time of 15 months, it has been on a 300-day marathon, covering some 670 million kilometres to reach its destination, Mars.
Mangalyaan is the cheapest inter-planetary mission ever to be undertaken anywhere in the world. At Rs 450 crore, it costs just about Rs 4 per person in India.
To compare, the darling of Martian dreamers - the American rover Curiosity which has been sitting on the surface of the Red Planet - cost over a whopping two billion dollars.
On a visit to India's rocket port in June, PM Modi had remarked, "The Hollywood movie Gravity cost more than our Mars mission - this is a great achievement."
India's technological capabilities and frugal bills have helped cut costs. It is paving the way for faster, cheaper and possibly durable inter-planetary missions.