Mars Orbiter Mission 2
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Mars Lander Mission (MLM) (unofficially called Mangalyaan-2) is a proposed second mission to Mars by the
Indian Space Research Organisation The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO ) is India's national List of government space agencies, space agency, headquartered in Bengaluru, Karnataka. It serves as the principal research and development arm of the Department of Space (DoS), ...
(ISRO).


History

Following the successful insertion of the
Mars Orbiter Mission Mars Orbiter Mission (MOM), unofficially known as ''Mangalyaan'' (Sanskrit: 'Mars', 'Craft, Vehicle'), is a space probe orbiting Mars since 24 September 2014. It was launched on 5 November 2013 by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO ...
(also called ''Mangalyaan'') into Martian orbit, ISRO announced its intent to launch a second mission to Mars at the Engineers Conclave conference held in Bengaluru on 28 October 2014. The proposed launch vehicle for this campaign is the
LVM3 The Launch Vehicle Mark-3 or LVM3 (previously referred as the Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle Mark III or GSLV Mk III) is a Multistage rocket, three-stage medium-lift launch vehicle developed by the ISRO, Indian Space Research Organisati ...
, which flew for the first time on 5 June 2017, and might be powerful enough to place MOM on a direct-to-Mars trajectory alongside much heavier satellites, unlike the lighter Mars Orbiter Mission, which used a less powerful PSLV XL rocket. In January 2016, India and France signed a letter of intent for ISRO and
CNES CNES () is the French national space agency. Headquartered in central Paris, the agency is overseen by the ministries of the Armed Forces, Economy and Finance and Higher Education, Research and Innovation. It operates from the Toulouse Spac ...
to jointly build MOM 2 by 2020, but by April 2018, France was not yet involved in the mission. The Indian government funded MOM 2 in its 2017 budget proposal, and ISRO was considering whether the best path would be to conduct an
orbiter A spacecraft is a vehicle that is designed to fly and operate in outer space. Spacecraft are used for a variety of purposes, including communications, Earth observation, meteorology, navigation, space colonization, planetary exploration, ...
/ lander/
rover Rover may refer to: People Name * Constance Rover (1910–2005), English historian * Jolanda de Rover (born 1963), Dutch swimmer * Rover Thomas (c. 1920–1998), Indigenous Australian artist Stage name * Rover (musician), French singer-songw ...
mission or to opt for only an orbiter with more sophisticated instruments than those flown on MOM. In a podcast recording,
Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre The Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC) is a major space research centre of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), focusing on rocket and space vehicles for India's satellite programme. It is located in Thiruvananthapuram, in the India ...
director S. Somanath in October 2019 reported the architecture for mission was yet to be finalized and may also have a lander and rover, but no timeline was announced. In February 2021, ISRO called for an 'Announcement of Opportunities' on MOM 2. In it, K. Sivan announced that Mangalyaan 2 will only be an orbiter mission. Being launched by the LVM3 rocket (formerly the GSLV mk III), and using Aerobraking the MOM-2 satellite can carry more than 7 times the payload for MOM-1, also with a reduction in perigee to about 200 km above the surface of Mars. In a recorded interview in October 2019, the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC) director indicated the possibility of inclusion of a lander, but in an interview to ''
The Times of India ''The Times of India'' (''TOI'') is an Indian English-language daily newspaper and digital news media owned and managed by the Times Group. It is the List of newspapers in India by circulation, third-largest newspaper in India by circulation an ...
'' in February 2021 the ISRO chairman clarified that the mission will consist solely of an orbiter. The orbiter will use aerobraking to lower its initial
apoapsis An apsis (; ) is the farthest or nearest point in the orbit of a planetary body about its primary body. The line of apsides (also called apse line, or major axis of the orbit) is the line connecting the two extreme values. Apsides perta ...
and enter into an orbit more suitable for observations. In 2024, the mission plan was updated, and now includes a
rover Rover may refer to: People Name * Constance Rover (1910–2005), English historian * Jolanda de Rover (born 1963), Dutch swimmer * Rover Thomas (c. 1920–1998), Indigenous Australian artist Stage name * Rover (musician), French singer-songw ...
,
helicopter A helicopter is a type of rotorcraft in which Lift (force), lift and thrust are supplied by horizontally spinning Helicopter rotor, rotors. This allows the helicopter to VTOL, take off and land vertically, to hover (helicopter), hover, and ...
, sky crane and a supersonic parachute. The Mission received approval from the Space Commission on 21st February 2025. Development of the Spacecraft will begin after approval from the
Union Cabinet The Union Council of Ministers is the Cabinet (government), principal executive organ of the Government of India, which serves to aid and advise the President of India in execution of their functions.Article 74 of the ''Constitution of India' ...
.


Development

An Announcement of Opportunity was released requesting submissions for scientific instruments for an orbiter only, with a deadline set for 20 September 2016. The total science payload mass is estimated at . One of the science payloads under development is an
ionosphere The ionosphere () is the ionized part of the upper atmosphere of Earth, from about to above sea level, a region that includes the thermosphere and parts of the mesosphere and exosphere. The ionosphere is ionized by solar radiation. It plays ...
plasma instrument named ARIS. It is being developed by Space Satellite Systems and Payloads Centre (SSPACE), which is part of the Indian Institute of Space Science and Technology (IIST). The engineering model and high vacuum test have been completed. In a panel discussion in September 2022, it was told that mission would include a hyperspectral camera, a very high resolution
panchromatic A panchromatic emulsion is a type of photographic emulsion that is sensitive to all wavelengths of visible light, and produces a monochrome photograph—typically black and white. Most modern commercially available film is panchromatic, and the t ...
camera and a radar to better understand the early stages of Mars, its early crust, recent basalts, and ongoing activities such as boulder falls.


Spacecraft

The mission will consist of two modules, a Cruise Stage and a Descent Stage. The 4,500 kg spacecraft will initially be placed in an elliptical parking orbit of 190 x 35,786 km around earth following launch from an LVM-3. The Cruise Stage will perform the trans-mars Injection burn and set the stack towards
Mars Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun. It is also known as the "Red Planet", because of its orange-red appearance. Mars is a desert-like rocky planet with a tenuous carbon dioxide () atmosphere. At the average surface level the atmosph ...
. Upon Arrival, the Descent stage will separate and perform the landing skipping orbital Insertion. The Cruise Stage will then enter into a Martian orbit using Aerobraking.


Payloads

The mission will consist of four main payloads. * Mars Orbit Dust Experiment (MODEX): It will measure the origin, abundance, distribution, and flux at high altitudes on
Mars Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun. It is also known as the "Red Planet", because of its orange-red appearance. Mars is a desert-like rocky planet with a tenuous carbon dioxide () atmosphere. At the average surface level the atmosph ...
. There are no measurements of Interplanetary Dust Particles (IDPs) at Mars. The instrument can detect particles of size from a few hundred nm to few μm, travelling at hypervelocity (> 1 km/s). The outcomes can help explain the dust flux at Mars, whether there is any
ring (The) Ring(s) may refer to: * Ring (jewellery), a round band, usually made of metal, worn as ornamental jewelry * To make a sound with a bell, and the sound made by a bell Arts, entertainment, and media Film and TV * ''The Ring'' (franchise), a ...
(as hypothesized) around Mars and also confirm whether the dust is interplanetary or coming from Phobos or Deimos. * Radio Occultation experiment (RO): It will measure neutral and electron Density profiles. The MODEX can help explain the RO experiment results. The instrument is a
microwave Microwave is a form of electromagnetic radiation with wavelengths shorter than other radio waves but longer than infrared waves. Its wavelength ranges from about one meter to one millimeter, corresponding to frequency, frequencies between 300&n ...
transmitter In electronics and telecommunications, a radio transmitter or just transmitter (often abbreviated as XMTR or TX in technical documents) is an electronic device which produces radio waves with an antenna (radio), antenna with the purpose of sig ...
operating at
X-band The X band is the designation for a band of frequency, frequencies in the microwave radio region of the electromagnetic spectrum. In some cases, such as in communication engineering, the frequency range of the X band is set at approximately 7.0â ...
frequency that can help understand the behaviour of the Martian atmosphere. * Energetic Iron Spectrometer (EIS): It will study the solar energy particles and Supra-thermal solar winds on Mars. The data will be useful to understand the loss of Martian atmosphere. *
Langmuir probe A Langmuir probe is a device used to determine the electron temperature, electron density, and electric potential of a plasma. It works by inserting one or more electrodes into a plasma, with a constant or time-varying electric potential between ...
and Electric Field Experiment (LPEX): It will measure the electron number, density, electron temperature and electric field waves. This experiment consists of one Langmuir probe (LP) and two electric field (EF) sensors each mounted on a long boom. * PolaRisation sensitive Infrared Spectroscopy of Mars (PRISM): It is designed to measure the polarization of light from the Martian atmosphere, helping us understand dust and cloud properties. * Plasma AnalyseR for the Environment of Mars (PREM): It is designed to analyze the composition of Mars' atmosphere by directly measuring its plasma.


See also

*
Exploration of Mars The planet Mars has been explored remotely by spacecraft. Uncrewed spacecraft, Probes sent from Earth, beginning in the late 20th century, have yielded a large increase in knowledge about the Martian system, focused primarily on understanding G ...
*
List of missions to Mars This is a list of spacecraft missions (including unsuccessful ones) to the planet Mars, such as orbiters, landers, and rovers. Missions ;Mission Type Legend: Landing locations In 1999, Mars Climate Orbiter accidentally entered Mars ...
* Chandrayaan programme


References

{{Future spaceflights ISRO space probes Indian Space Research Organisation Missions to Mars Proposed space probes