Mars Orbiter Mission spacecraft and its challenges

Abstract

Mars Orbiter Mission (MOM), India's first interplanetary mission, was launched on 5 November 2013 from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC), Sriharikota, using PSLV XL C-25 rocket. MOM spacecraft was successfully inserted into the Martian orbit on 24 September 2014. One of the main objectives of the mission to Mars is to develop the technologies required for design, planning, management and operation of an interplanetary mission. Scientific objectives include exploration of surface features of Mars, morphology, topography, mineralogy and study of Martian atmosphere using indigenous scientific instruments. The spacecraft configuration is a balanced mix of design from flight-proven IRS/INSAT/Chandrayaan-1 bus. The configuration and subsequent design of the spacecraft had to take into consideration the many challenges it would face during its mission life. The spacecraft has been designed for interplanetary missions capable of operating in Earth burn, Mars transfer trajectory and Martian orbit environments. The major challenges of design are in thermal environment, radiation environment, power systems, communication systems, propulsion systems and on-board autonomy.