The ISRO officials added that the firing of LAM engine is critical for the success of last lap.
The ISRO scientists are highly excited at a time when the MOM is set to enter its last leg before it enters its orbit around Mars. At its closest, the spaceship will be around a million kilometers from the Red Planet.
The spacecraft needs to travel around seven miles to reach its orbit and it will travel for 32 days more to reach there/
It is to be noted that Mangalyaan is by far the cheapest such mission to Mars. "Our program stands out as most cost effective. There is this story of our Mars mission costing less than the Hollywood movie Gravity. I have heard that Mars mission's expense is lesser than Gravity. Our scientists have shown the world a new paradigm of engineering and the power of imagination," Prime Minister Narendra Modi recently said.
The Mangalyaan interplanetary project was launched at an estimated cost of $72 million while Gravity is estimated to have cost $100 million. The MOM has put India on the global map when it comes to space prowess.
The MOM was launched nine months ago and has already travelled more than 80 million kilometers. The spaceship is set to reach its target from where it will start orbiting around the Red Planet in the next 32 days.
ISRO made this announcement on its Facebook page. "33 days to Mars. MOM is just 9 million km away from Mars and 189 million kms away from the Earth," the country's premier space agency said.
ISRO chairman Dr K Radhakrishnan told Hindustan Times: "This is a very critical phase of the Mission. Our mission controllers are going through ground simulations and rehearsals to respond to contingencies."
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