After 8 Glorious Years Around Mars, India's 'Mangalyaan' Has Run Out Of Fuel

India's Mars Orbiter has run out of fuel, reports suggest. It appears that Mangalyaan has run out of propellant and its battery is drained beyond the safe limit. What does this mean? India's maiden Mars mission "Mangalyaan" may be finished for good. Launched on November 5, 2013, the Mars Orbiter Mission (MOM) cost about Rs. 450 crore.

NASA

What happened to Mangalyaan?

The Mars Orbiter was inserted into Martian orbit on September 24, 2014 in the very first attempt. Now, the link seems to have been lost. "Right now, there is no fuel left. The satellite battery has drained," Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) told PTI. "The link has been lost".

Even then, no official word from ISRO has come in yet. "Recently there were back-to-back eclipses including one that lasted seven-and-half hours," officials told PTI on the condition of anonymity, adding that all fuel on board the spacecraft has been used.

Also read: Why Scientists Think 'Hell-Like' Venus Should Be Probed Before Mission To Mars

AajTak

This isn't a failure, though! The Mars orbiter was designed to function for six months, but it continued to offer its services for almost eight years. "It has done its job and yielded significant scientific results," ISRO sources said.

The Mars mission was aimed at putting an orbiter around Mars. The Mars Orbiter Mission (MOM) carried five scientific payloads weighing about 15 kg. They collected data on surface geology, morphology, atmospheric processes, surface temperature, and atmospheric escape process.

ET

So far, the Mars Colour Camera (MCC) aboard the orbiter has snapped about 1,000 images of Mars. For now, plans of a follow-up probe are not concrete.

Also read: Perseverance Rover Detects, Collects Strange Organic Matter In Wildcat Ridge On Mars

"It is now planned to have the next orbiter mission around Mars for a future launch opportunity. Proposals are solicited from interested scientists within India for experiments onboard an orbiter mission around Mars (MOM-2), to address relevant scientific problems and topics," officials told PTI.

What do you think about Mangalyaan's space feats? Let us know in the comments below. For more in the world of technology and science, keep reading Indiatimes.com.

References

Press Trust of India. (2022b, October 2). After 8 Years Of Hard Work, India¡¯s ¡°Mangalyaan¡± Runs Out Of Fuel: Report. NDTV.com. Retrieved October 3, 2022, from https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/after-8-years-of-hard-work-indias-mangalyaan-runs-out-of-fuel-report-3397026