September 17, 2026 06:11 pm (IST)
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Modi to witness Mangalyaan's entry into Mars
Bengaluru, Sept 23 (IBNS): Hours ahead of the much-awaited moment when India's Mars Orbiter Mission (MOM) satellite "Mangalyaan" enters the Martian orbit, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has arrived in Bengaluru on Tuesday to witness the historical event, which will take place on Wednesday.
Media reported, PM is expected to witness the grand event from Indian Space Research Organization’s (ISRO) Monitoring Station at Sriharikota near Bengaluru in Karnataka.
It has been learnt that PM will stay in the Raj Bhawan overnight before travelling to Sriharikota.
"As Modi is also in-charge of the space department, he has expressed keen interest to witness the historic event when the spacecraft enters the Martian orbit in its maiden attempt," a senior space official told media.
He also said, "Though the orbit insertion exercise begins at 4.17 am, the prime minister will be at the mission control centre from 6.45 am to watch the crucial operation when the spacecraft main engine will be fired at 7.17 am to carry it through the region to enter the Martian orbit by 7.53 a.m.”
According to information received from Satish Dhawan Space Center, ISRO chairman K. Radhakrishanan and senior scientists in-charge of the Mars Orbiter Mission will brief the prime minister about the operation.
Confirmation about its insertion into the orbit will be known by 8.15 am.
Earlier, in a significant achievement, Mangalyaan on Monday cleared a crucial four-second motor fire test and entered the planet's gravitational sphere of influence on Monday. The 440 Newton Liquid Apogee Motor (LAM) of India’s Mars Orbiter Spacecraft was successfully fired for a duration of 4 seconds at 2.30 PM on Monday, the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) said in a statement.
Launched on November 5 last year, India's Mangalyaan embarked on a 680-million-km journey and has been successfully braving the rough weather in space.
On Wednesday, through a critical phase MOM’s eight thrusters will be fired to slow down Mangalyaan and it will be injected into a safe orbit around the Red Planet.
According to ISRO, if the spacecraft makes it, India will be the fourth after US, Russia and Europe to reach the Red planet.
The satellite and the entire Mars Orbiter mission have been made ready at a record cost of Rs. 450 crore, thus making it the cheapest inter-planetary mission ever to be undertaken in the world.
Once in orbit, the craft’s five payloads will take pictures and collect data for the next six months.
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