Spacecraft Boosted To A Higher Orbit Before Heading To Mars

The second try was a charm for India's Mars probe which was launched November 5th. The spacecraft was boosted to a higher orbit where it will gain enough velocity to escape Earth's gravity and head to our neighboring planet.

The French news service AFP reports that the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) is using a "slingshot" method to send the probe out of its orbit around the Earth and on to Mars. To do that, the spacecraft had to be boosted to an altitude of 62,000 miles above the Earth. In a statement, the ISRO said "Fourth supplementary orbit raising maneuver of Mars Orbiter Spacecraft... has been successfully completed."

But it wasn't all smooth sailing. The ISRO said that the spacecraft experienced a brief engine failure Monday on a burn that was intended to push the spacecraft into the higher orbit. The spacecraft is now positioned to make its journey on schedule.

This is India's first attempt at interplanetary travel. The cost of India's project is reported to be about $73 million … less than one-sixth of the $455 million price tag for NASA's latest Mars mission slated to launch later this month.

FMI: www.isro.org