WASHINGTON: The Indian Mars orbiter spacecraft completed its 100th orbit around Mars on Monday. It is also gradually coming out of the blackout it had entered earlier this month, Indian Space Research Organisation has said.
The payloads on the spacecraft are to be re-started in a few weeks. They were last operated on May 27 to put the spacecraft in an autonomous mode.
MOM remains healthy and all its payloads are performing satisfactorily, ISRO said. The Mars Colour Camera has taken 405 frames so far.
“The spacecraft’s health data is now being received,” ISRO said adding the orbiter now had an elliptical orbit of 474 km and 71, 132 km from the red planet.
Since early June, the Mars Orbiter and Mars were moving behind Sun as viewed from Earth. Two-way signals were disrupted by solar activities.
Launched from Indian spaceport of Sriharikota on November 5, 2013, MOM reached the red planet in September last year and has outlived its planned mission life of six months in a Martian orbit.
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