Active Stocks
Thu Mar 28 2024 15:59:33
  1. Tata Steel share price
  2. 155.90 2.00%
  1. ICICI Bank share price
  2. 1,095.75 1.08%
  1. HDFC Bank share price
  2. 1,448.20 0.52%
  1. ITC share price
  2. 428.55 0.13%
  1. Power Grid Corporation Of India share price
  2. 277.05 2.21%
Business News/ Politics / Policy/  Isro’s Mars Orbiter completes half its journey
BackBack

Isro’s Mars Orbiter completes half its journey

The spacecraft has crossed 337.5 million km in its elliptical orbit around the sun

Isro’s Mars Orbiter was launched aboard the PSLV-C25 on 5 November. Photo: AFPPremium
Isro’s Mars Orbiter was launched aboard the PSLV-C25 on 5 November. Photo: AFP

New Delhi: India’s Mars Orbiter completed half its journey to the red planet on Wednesday morning, the Indian Space Research Organization (Isro) said.

As at 9:50 am, the Mars Orbiter spacecraft crossed 337.5 million km in its elliptical orbit around the sun. It has to complete 680 million km before an orbit-insertion manoeuvre is performed to inject it into the Martian orbit.

The straight distance between the spacecraft and Earth is 39 million km; a signal from Earth to the rocket and back takes 4 minutes and 15 seconds.

“As the spacecraft moves further away from the Earth, the signal it receives gets weaker. There are three antennae on the spacecraft and till now we were using the medium gain antenna, but now we need the high gain antenna to receive the weak and small signals," an Isro official said, requesting anonymity.

All the five scientific instruments aboard the orbiter are normal, the space agency said.

The spacecraft was launched aboard Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) C25 on 5 November. If successful, India’s Mars mission will become the fourth such mission to complete its journey after those of the US, Russia and the European Space Agency.

Unlock a world of Benefits! From insightful newsletters to real-time stock tracking, breaking news and a personalized newsfeed – it's all here, just a click away! Login Now!

Catch all the Politics News and Updates on Live Mint. Download The Mint News App to get Daily Market Updates & Live Business News.
More Less
Published: 09 Apr 2014, 04:50 PM IST
Next Story footLogo
Recommended For You
Switch to the Mint app for fast and personalized news - Get App