New Delhi:
Severe cyclonic storm 'Helen', which is likely to hit southern Andhra Pradesh coast on Friday afternoon, has been photographed by India's Mars Orbiter, Mangalyaan. This is the first image of India captured by the satellite.
The image of the Indian sub-continent shows the formation of cyclone Helen east of Andhra Pradesh in the Bay of Bengal. It was captured in the afternoon of November 19, when the space craft was about 68,000 kilometers above India.
The Rs 150 crore satellite carries on board a 'Mars Colour Camera' that weighs 1.5 kilograms and can takes photos at a resolution of 20 meters. The scientists managed to capture this photo as they were testing the camera.
The 1350 kilogram satellite was launched from Sriharikota on November 5 and since then its orbit has been raised several times and if all goes well a little after midnight on December 1, 2013 the satellite will be sent on its long journey to Mars.