India has become the fourth nation to successfully deliver a spacecraft to Mars. The Mars Orbiter Mission (MOM) is the country’s first interplanetary mission and will collect data about martian surface features, morphology and mineralogy. The spacecraft will also search for signs of methane gas in the atmosphere.

A statement from Lisa May, program executive for the Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution (MAVEN) mission in NASA’s Science Mission Directorate (SMD):

“NASA’s Mars Exploration Program is very excited to have new neighbors at Mars! The more that we can learn about Mars, the better it is for the global science community. NASA and the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) are exploring the possibility of a working group to discuss scientific collaboration among current Mars missions, as well as potential future cooperation on new missions. The MAVEN and MOM science observations could complement each other, and we support the dialog between the projects.”

MOM joins six active missions at Mars including MAVEN, the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, Mars Express, Mars Odyssey, the Opportunity rover and the Curiosity rover. Together, this team of robotic explorers are providing valuable information about the planet’s present environment, and clues as to whether or not ancient Mars supported habitats where life as we know it could have survived.

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The following statement is from NASA Administrator Charles Bolden about India’s Mars Orbiter Mission (MOM):

“We congratulate the Indian Space Research Organisation for its successful arrival at Mars with the Mars Orbiter Mission.

“It was an impressive engineering feat, and we welcome India to the family of nations studying another facet of the Red Planet. We look forward to MOM adding to the knowledge the international community is gathering with the other spacecraft at Mars.

“All space exploration expands the frontiers of scientific knowledge and improves life for everyone on Earth. We commend this significant milestone for India.”

MOM Arrives at Mars (Astrobio.net)
NASA Administrator Statement About India’s Mars Orbiter Mission
JPL Family Wishes MOM “Good Luck!”