Humbled by privilege of being the government that piloted Mangalyaan project: Manmohan Singh

Congratulating ISRO for achieving a huge milestone with the success of the Mars Orbiter Mission, former Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh on Wednesday said the UPA was humbled by the privilege of having been the government that piloted the Mangalyaan project. Speaking to ANI, Dr Singh said, "We are indeed humbled by the privilege of having been the government that piloted the Mangalyaan project. Its ..success gives our scientists and the nation immense satisfaction."

"This achievement also places India in a very elite club of advance space fairing nation who have reached Mars joining Russia, USA and the European Space Agency," he added. Congress leader Digvijaya Singh also echoed similar views while praising the cost effective mission. He said, "This is a proud moment for us. In its first attempt only we have been able to send the Mars Orbiter across to the red planet and it has been cost-effective. This Mars Mission was initiated by the UPA government in 2012-2013."

According to reports, the Mars Orbiter Mission (MOM), also called Mangalyaan, project was approved by the United Progressive Alliance-II government on August 3, 2012 at a cost of Rs. 450 crores. Mangalyaan was India's first inter-planetary mission launched on November 5, 2013 from Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh. It is primarily a technological mission and has been configured to carry out observation of physical features and the atmosphere of Mars. Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has become the fourth space agency to reach Mars after Roscosmos, NASA and ESA.