The Mars Orbiter Mission is all set to be launched next week by Indian space agency, ISRO. The mission to Mars is the cheapest by any nation to the red planet.

The Chandrayaan-I project was announced in 2003 by then prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee. The space craft was finally launched on the planned date in November 2008. It operated for 312 and it was a success for Indian space science. They saved time, money and human efforts through serious planning.

It is not wrong to call it frugal engineering being used for space. It was in August 2012 when Mangalyaan was formally approved. ISRO was working on the structure three months before the formal approval.

NASA's MAVEN is also a Mars mission scheduled to launch on November 18. It has incurred $679 million and has taken at least five years. Now, if Indian mission to Mars becomes successful then it will be the first to do so in mere 18 months. The cost is even far less, i. e. $69.

ISRO was established in the 1960s by Vikram Sarabhai. During that time, moon and Mars missions were not the priority of the space agency. He had famously said, “We do not have the fantasy of competing with the economically advanced nations in the exploration of the moon or the planets or manned space-flight”. Only intention behind setting up the space agency was benefit of the society.