印度低成本飞船首航成功进入火星轨道

choi

Gardiner Harris, 印度低成本飞船首航成功进入火星轨道. 纽约时报中文网, Sept 25, 2014
cn.nytimes.com/world/20140925/c25india/

, which is translated from

Gardiner Harris, On a shoestring, India Sends Orbiter to Mars on Its First Try. New York Times, Sept 25, 2014.

Quote:

"Success was by no means assured. Of the 51 attempts to reach Mars, only 21 have succeeded, and none on any country’s first try, Mr Modi noted. Japan failed, in 1999, and China in 2012.

"The Indian Space Research Organization has always had a small budget, and for years it worked in international isolation after many countries cut off technological sharing programs in the wake of Indian nuclear tests. It has launched more than 50 satellites since 1975, including five foreign satellites in one June launch. * * * More recently, India’s technological isolation in defense and other areas has been due in large part to the country’s restrictions on foreign investments, its poor infrastructure. India is now the world’s largest importer of arms because of its inability to make its own and its refusal to let foreign companies open plants owned entirely by them.

"A mission that began with a November launch in Sriharikota has been flawless since. Mangalyaan [also known as Mars Orbiter Mission, or MOM], which is Hindi for 'Mars craft,' will remain in an elliptical orbit around Mars

Note:
(a) “'The odds were stacked against us,' Mr Modi, wearing a red Nehru vest, said in a televised news conference."
(i) translation: 身穿红色尼赫鲁式马甲的莫迪
(ii) Now I know what 马甲 means in China, which is called 背心 in Taiwan.
(iii) For “Nehru vest,” see First pictures of Mars taken by Mars Orbiter. Indian Express, Sept 25, 2014
indianexpress.com/photos/picture-gallery-others/pm-watches-as-isro-scientists-do-india-proud-with-mangalyaan-on-mars/12/
(legend of photo 12: Prime Minister, Narendra Modi meets ISRO scientists before Insertion of Mars Orbiter (Mangalyan) into the Mars, at ISRO Headquarters, in Bengaluru on Wednesday. ISRO Chairman, K Radhakrishnan is also seen. (Source: PTI)")

(b) Sriharikota
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sriharikota

choi

(2) Joanna Sugden and Santanu Choudhury, India’s Thrifty Satellite Makes It to Mars; Country enters ‘big league’ of space exploration on shoestring budget using older technologies, fuel-sipping rocket. Wall Street Journal, Sept 25, 2014.
online.wsj.com/articles/india-satellite-reaches-mars-orbit-on-first-try-1411574420

Quote:

(a) "Rajeswari Pillai Rajagopalan, senior fellow in space-security studies at the Observer Research Foundation, a New Delhi think tank, said the successful mission "put India in the big league."

"'This is a major strategic coup for India,' said Ms Rajagopalan, giving it an edge over China in interplanetary exploration.'"In all other things, China is past competing with India, but here, we are ahead, that's why they are keen to cooperate with us.'

(n) "India, which currently has around 35 satellites in Earth orbit * * * Overall, India has launched 74 satellites since 1975, according to ISRO. The country is gaining increasing recognition worldwide as a low-cost option for sending satellites into orbit.

(c) "India's Mars mission * * * took just four years from an initial feasibility study to arrival in orbit

My comment: View the graphic only, whose title is “Discount Flight; Comparative costs of travel to the Mars in recent years” but which does not include China(‘s failed attempt to reach Mars).

The graphic shows Russia failed (“to leave earth orbit”) in 2011. So Russia’s assistance to India still can not be ruled out.