India in mars

ISRO Chairman Dr K Radhakrishnan today said the country`s next venture would be the Mars orbiter mission. Bhubaneswar: Describing prospects of India`s space programme as exciting and challenging, ISRO Chairman Dr K Radhakrishnan today said the country`s next venture would be the Mars orbiter mission while the first navigation satellite is slated to be launched by June this year. Mars hasplayed a major role in evolution of life on earth and the next mission is the Mars orbiter mission, Radhakrishnan said during an interaction with students of KIIT University here. "The first navigation satellite is slated to be launched by June this year. Chandrayan-I is a major step towards lunar and planetary exploration," Radhakrishnan, also Chairman of Space Commission and Secretary, Department of SpaceIndia`s bid to explore Mars will be a scaled down affair with the space agency flying experimental payload of less than 15 kg as against 25kg planned originally. Kolkata: India`s bid to explore Mars will be a scaled down affair with the space agency flying experimental payload of less than 15 kg as against 25kg planned originally. The Mars Orbiter Mission,expected to be launched in mid-October this year, will carry five experimental payloads with a total weight of 14.49 kg. The Methane Sensor for Mars, which will be capable of scanning the entire Martian disc within six minutes, will weigh 3.59 kg, it was revealed at a presentation made by planetary scientists at the 100th Indian Science Congress here. Earlier missions to Mars had detected Methane in the thin Martian atmosphere but the discovery is yet to be corroborated.