While China was planning to build a manned space station by the end of the decade, India has clearly overtaken it by entering the Martian orbit even in its maiden attempt – and at a scale of economy that baffles the entire world. Â
There have been 51 missions to Mars by other countries, most of which have been unsuccessful. Over billions of dollars have been spent by countries to get the answer to the eternal question that has dogged humanity: “Are we alone in the universe?”
Ours is one of the cheapest interplanetary space missions ever at $74 million. It costs only Rs7/km; the minimum fare of a Delhi Auto is Rs25/km! The mission cost is even less than the Hollywood sci-fi blockbuster “Gravity” which had an estimated budget of $100 million. Its cost equals to only 11% of the cost of US Maven probe.
A total of $189 million was used for Japan’s Mars orbiter, Nozomi, which was launched in 1998. It reached Mars but its engine failed and it continued on a heliocentric orbit before being shut down.
US — a seasoned hand at Mars exploration — had many heartbreaks with its early Mars missions that NASA’s success rate barely touches 40% — despite recent successes. It’s Mariner 4, which was launched in 1964 completed the first Mars flyby. The total cost of the Mariner 4 mission is estimated at $83.2 million. Total research, development, launch, and support costs for the Mariner series of spacecraft (Mariners 1 through 10) was approximately $554 million.
Russia’s record is much bleaker: More than 50% of its Mars missions suffered launch failures, the biggest disappointment being the ambitious Phobos-Grunt sample return probe in 2011. Fobos-Grunt also carried the Chinese Mars orbiter Yinghuo-1. The total cost of the mission was around 5 billion roubles ($117 million). The spacecraft failed to leave Earth orbit and underwent destructive re-entry in 2012, finally disintegrating over the Pacific Ocean.
The European Space Agency’s Mars Express Orbiter reached Mars on its first attempt. The spacecraft which was launched in 2003 had a total initial budget of $245 million. It has been consistently mapping the Martian surface with unprecedented resolution and has taken dozens of pictures.
India has shown the world that India is no longer a country of snake charmers but a high-tech hub that has developed its technology against the odds and stringent sanctions. India sees the Mars mission as an opportunity to beat its regional rival China in reaching the planet, and with destination Mars within touching distance; it may after all meet that target.