(Image source from: Timesnownews.com)
In a significant advancement for India's aspirations in interplanetary exploration, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has announced comprehensive plans for its upcoming Mars mission, Mangalyaan-2. This mission, distinct from the first, will feature a lander designed for direct contact with the Martian surface, along with a helicopter. ISRO's chief, Dr. V Narayanan, shared these details at the Navaratna Conference. The spacecraft, weighing 4,500 kg, will be launched using the LVM3 rocket and will first enter an orbit around Earth measuring 190 x 35,786 km. Subsequently, it will embark on a lengthy journey to Mars, utilizing a composite module comprising both a Cruise Stage and a Descent Stage. The Cruise Stage will function as the propulsion unit, navigating the spacecraft from Earth's orbit to an orbit around Mars.
As Mangalyaan-2 approaches Mars, the Descent Stage will separate from the Cruise Stage and initiate a direct entry into the Martian atmosphere, bypassing the traditional orbiting phase before landing. To decelerate during this rapid descent, the process of aerobraking will be employed, which harnesses the Martian atmosphere to slow down the spacecraft. For a safe landing, ISRO plans to utilize a heatshield and supersonic parachutes to protect against extreme atmospheric friction and decrease velocity effectively.
The final descent phase will commence when the Descent Stage is approximately 1.3 km above the Martian terrain. At this juncture, the lander will activate its powered descent system, which consists of onboard engines engineered to facilitate a controlled and gentle landing. Should this mission succeed, Mangalyaan-2 will be India’s inaugural effort to land on another planet, placing the nation among an elite group capable of such an accomplishment. Achieving success in this mission would enhance India’s reputation in space exploration and generate critical data for subsequent interplanetary missions. Although ISRO has not yet specified a launch date, the outlined plans suggest an ambitious and technically intricate undertaking that could pave the way for more extensive exploration of Mars and represent another monumental achievement for India's space initiative.
