Twelve years after the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) made history with the Mars Orbiter Mission (MOM), often called Mangalyaan-1, the agency has officially confirmed its next, far more ambitious undertaking: the Mangalyaan-2 mission. Confirmed by ISRO Chairman Dr. V Narayanan, the mission is scheduled for a launch in 2030 and aims to achieve India’s first-ever soft landing on the surface of the Red Planet.
This project represents a monumental technological leap for India's space program, moving beyond orbital reconnaissance to direct planetary surface exploration, a feat accomplished by only a handful of nations globally.
A Major Technological Leap: Orbiter, Lander, and Rover
The first Mangalyaan, launched in 2013, was a technology demonstrator and orbiter that successfully placed India as the first Asian nation and the first country worldwide to reach Martian orbit on its maiden attempt. Mangalyaan-1 provided valuable data on the Martian atmosphere, surface morphology, and mineral composition for over seven years before communications ended in 2022.
Mangalyaan-2, by contrast, is a multi-component, complex mission designed for deeper, on-site investigation. The mission architecture is expected to include:
An Orbiter: To continue atmospheric, climatic, and surface studies from orbit.
A Lander: The core component of the mission, designed to execute a soft landing on the Martian surface.
A Rover (or Mini-Rotorcraft): The mission will likely deploy a small rover for surface mobility and soil analysis. Some reports also suggest the possibility of a mini-helicopter (rotorcraft), similar to NASA's Ingenuity, to survey the landing site and surrounding terrain from the air.
The entire spacecraft is proposed to weigh around 4,500 kg and is expected to be launched by the powerful LVM3 rocket (formerly GSLV Mk III), which provides the necessary lift capability for a heavy interplanetary mission.
The Challenge of Entry, Descent, and Landing (EDL)
Achieving a soft landing on Mars is arguably the most challenging aspect of the mission. Mars' atmosphere is roughly 100 times thinner than Earth's, which complicates the use of parachutes for deceleration but is thick enough to cause significant friction and heating. This phase is often referred to as the "seven minutes of terror" due to the rapid, autonomous sequence of events required for a safe touchdown.
ISRO's technological roadmap for Mangalyaan-2's descent stage includes:
Aerobraking: Using the thin Martian atmosphere to slow the spacecraft down via drag.
Heat Shield & Supersonic Parachutes: Essential for surviving the high-speed atmospheric entry and rapidly reducing velocity.
Powered Descent System: The final phase will rely on advanced landing engines and sensors to provide controlled guidance, autonomously assessing the terrain to select a safe, precise landing spot, before carefully guiding the lander to the surface.
Direct Entry: Unlike some missions that orbit for a period before descent, Mangalyaan-2 is reportedly being designed for a bold direct entry into the Martian atmosphere, a sophisticated maneuver showcasing ISRO's increasing confidence in deep-space navigation.
Scientific Objectives
The mission's payloads are designed to expand upon the data collected by MOM-1, with a focus on understanding the planet's history, geology, and potential for past or present life. The scientific objectives include:
Atmospheric and Dust Studies: Analyzing the Martian atmosphere, climate, and the dynamics of dust particles (the Mars Orbit Dust Experiment - MODEX). This includes searching for a potential ring around Mars composed of dust.
Sub-Surface Investigation: Utilizing instruments for high-resolution terrain mapping and searching for traces of water ice beneath the surface.
Space Environment: Studying the electrical properties of the Martian environment using tools like the Langmuir Probe and Electric Field Experiment (LPEX).
Mineralogy: Mapping the surface composition and identifying minerals related to the planet's aqueous past.
Preliminary studies and design work for the mission are already underway at key ISRO centres, including the Space Applications Centre (SAC) and the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC). If successful, Mangalyaan-2 will place India in an elite club of nations, alongside the United States, China, and the former Soviet Union, that have successfully operated a spacecraft on the Martian surface, solidifying India's position as a major power in global space exploration.