Prime Minister Narendra Modi patted the back of ISRO Chairman K Radhakrishnan and complimented the Indian space scientists for making history after the space research agency successfully put a satellite into orbit around Mars.
With the success of "Mangalyaan", India has become the first country in the world to go to Mars on the very first try. European, American and Russian probes have managed to orbit or land on the planet, but only after several attempts.
Congratulating ISRO scientists, Modi said, "India has created history today, we have reached which was nearly impossible. I congratulate all ISRO scientists and all my fellow Indians on this historic occasion. Let's be proud of the achievements of our scientists."
He further said, "The achievement of ISRO scientists is bigger than when our cricket team wins a tournament. Through your brilliance and hard work, they have made it a habit of achieving the impossible. Let schools and colleges celebrate the success by clapping for five minutes. Entire country should make this an occasion for celebration."
Describing the success of India's Mars Orbiter Mission (MOM) as a "historic occasion", Modi said, "Since the short form of Mars Orbiter Mission was MOM, I was sure about its success because MOM will never disappoint. Mangal means auspicious. So Mangal intentions will lead to Mangal success. Can you swim without jumping into water? So risk taking alone will lead to success."
Modi added, "Our scientists have achieved this at a cost which is lesser than some Hollywood movies.These are all accomplishments that will go down as landmarks in history."
Expressing the pride of joining an elite group of only three other agencies worldwide to have successfully reached the Red Planet, Modi stated, "The odds, were stacked against us. Of the 51 missions attempted across the world so far, a mere 21 had succeeded. But we have prevailed."
"Travelling an incredible distance, of over 650 million or 65 crore kilometres, we have gone beyond boundaries, of human enterprise and imagination," he said.
Mentioning that the modern India must continue playing this leading role of ‘Jagad-guru Bharat’, the prime minister said, "Our efforts have historically focused on the ultimate objective of nation-building and translating space technology into space applications. Let today’s success drive us with even greater vigour and conviction. Let us set ourselves even more challenging goals."
India's Mars Orbiter Mission is the cheapest inter-planetary mission. It cost about a tenth of NASA's Mars mission Maven that entered the Martian orbit on September 22. The 1,350 kg spacecraft is equipped with five instruments including a sensor to track methane or marsh gas -- a possible sign of life, a colour camera and a thermal imaging spectrometer to map the surface and mineral wealth of the Red Planet.
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