The Mars Orbiter Mission (MOM), also called Mangalyaan is a spacecraft orbiting Mars since 24 September 2014. It was launched on November 5, 2013 by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). It is India's first interplanetary mission and ISRO has become the fourth space agency to reach Mars, after the Soviet space program, NASA, and the European Space Agency. It is the first Asian nation to reach Mars orbit, and the first nation to do so on its first attempt.
DESCRIPTIONS OF MANGALYAAN-
· Mission type-Mars Orbiter
· Mission duration-Planned for 6 months
· Launch date and time- 5th November 2013,09:08 UTC
· Mars Orbit Intersection date- 24th September 2014
· Launch Vehicle- MANGALYAAN was launched aboard PSLV C-25, which was an XL variant of the PSLV.
· Perigee-421.7 kilometers and Apogee-76,993.6 kilometers
· Launch site-SDSC SHAR Centre, Sriharikota, India
MISSION OBJECTIVES- The main objectives are to develop the technologies required for designing, planning, management and operations of an interplanetary mission. The secondary objective is to explore Mars' surface features, morphology, mineralogy and Martian atmosphere using indigenous scientific instruments.
SPACECRAFT DESIGN-
IMAGE CREDIT-INDIAN SPACE RESEARCH ORGANISATION(ISRO)
· MASS- Lift-off mass-1,337.2 kg
· STRUCTURES- Aluminum and Composite Fibre Reinforced Plastic (CFRP) sandwich construction-modified I-1 K Bus
· MECHANISM- Solar Panel Drive Mechanism (SPDM), Reflector & Solar panel deployment
· PROPULSION-Bi propellant system (MMH + N2O4) with additional safety and redundancy features for MOI. Propellant mass:852 kg
· POWER SYSTEM-Single Solar Array-1.8m X 1.4 m - 3 panels - 840 W Generation (in Martian orbit), Battery:36AH Li-ion
· THERMAL SYSTEM-Passive thermal control system
· ATTITUDE AND ORBIT CONTROL SYSTEM-AOCE (Attitude and Orbit Control Electronics): with MAR31750 Processor
Sensors: Star sensor (2Nos), Solar Panel Sun Sensor (1No), Coarse Analogue Sun Sensor Actuators: Reaction Wheels (4Nos), Thrusters (8Nos), 440N Liquid Engine
· ANTENNAE-Low Gain Antenna (LGA), Mid Gain Antenna (MGA) and High Gain Antenna (HGA)
PAYLOADS-
IMAGE CREDIT-INDIAN SPACE RESEARCH ORGANISATION(ISRO)
· Methane Sensor for Mars (MSM)- MSM is designed to measure Methane (CH4) in the Martian atmosphere with PPB accuracy and map its sources.
· Mars Color Camera (MCC)- This tri-Color Mars Color camera gives images & information about the surface features and composition of Martian surface. They are useful to monitor the dynamic events and weather of Mars.
· Lyman Alpha Photometer (LAP)- LAP is an absorption cell photometer. It measures the relative abundance of deuterium and hydrogen from Lyman-alpha emission in the Martian upper atmosphere (typically Exosphere and exobase). Measurement of D/H (Deuterium to Hydrogen abundance Ratio) allows us to understand especially the loss process of water from the planet.
· Mars Exospheric Neutral Composition Analyser (MENCA)- MENCA is a quadruple mass spectrometer capable of analysing the neutral composition in the range of 1 to 300 amu with unit mass resolution.
· Thermal Infrared Imaging Spectrometer (TIS)- TIS measure the thermal emission and can be operated during both day and night. Temperature and emissivity are the two basic physical parameters estimated from thermal emission measurement.
MISSION PROFILE-
IMAGE CREDIT-INDIAN SPACE RESEARCH ORGANISATION(ISRO)
1. Geo Centric Phase- The spacecraft is injected into an Elliptic Parking Orbit by the launcher. With six main engine burns, the spacecraft is gradually maneuverer into a departure hyperbolic trajectory with which it escapes from the Earth’s Sphere of Influence (SOI) with Earth’s orbital velocity + V boost. The SOI of earth ends at 918347 km from the surface of the earth beyond which the perturbing force on the orbiter is mainly due to the Sun. One primary concern is how to get the spacecraft to Mars, on the least amount of fuel. ISRO uses a method of travel called a Hohmann Transfer Orbit – or a Minimum Energy Transfer Orbit – to send a spacecraft from Earth to Mars with the least amount of fuel possible.
2. Helio Centric Phase- The spacecraft leaves Earth in a direction tangential to Earth’s orbit and encounters Mars tangentially to its orbit. The flight path is roughly one half of an ellipse around sun. Eventually it will intersect the orbit of Mars at the exact moment when Mars is there too. This trajectory becomes possible with certain allowances when the relative position of Earth, Mars and Sun form an angle of approximately 44o. Such an arrangement recur periodically at intervals of about 780 days. Minimum energy opportunities for Earth-Mars occur in November 2013, January 2016, May2018 etc.
3. Martian Phase-The spacecraft arrives at the Mars Sphere of Influence (around 573473 km from the surface of Mars) in a hyperbolic trajectory. At the time the spacecraft reaches the closest approach to Mars (Periapsis), it is captured into planned orbit around mars by imparting ∆V retro which is called the Mars Orbit Insertion (MOI) manoeuvre. The Earth-Mars trajectory is shown in the above figure. ISRO plans to launch the Mars Orbiter Mission during the November 2013 window utilizing minimum energy transfer opportunity.
IMAGE CREDIT-INDIAN SPACE RESEARCH ORGANISATION(ISRO
INFORMATION CREDIT- INDIAN SPACE RESEARCH ORGANISATION(ISRO) and WIKIPEDIA.
Comments