Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) on Tuesday revealed that India's Mars orbiter has sent first images of the planet. The images depict regional dust storm activities above the northern hemisphere of Mars.

The pictures sent by the Mars orbiterwere revealed by ISRO on its Official Facebook page. The pictures were captured by Mars Color Camera aboard Mars Orbiter Mission (MOM). ISRO said that the photographs were taken by the camera from an altitude of around 74,500 kilometers from the surface of the Mars.

MOM's main aim is to study the Martian surface and mineral composition. The spacecraft will also scan the atmosphere of the red planet for methane, which is considered to be an indicator of life.

It has been found that the MOM spacecraft is equipped with five instruments. That includes a sensor to track methane or marsh gas, a color camera and a thermal-imaging spectrometer that will be used to map the surface and mineral wealth present o the planet.

MOM is the cheapest inter-planetary mission with a budget of Rs. 450-crore. After MOM successfully reached the Mars orbit India has become the first country to reach Mars in the very first attempt. European, American and Russian probes although have managed to land on the Martian surface or orbit it, but they could make it possible in several attempts.

Researchers at ISRO reported that the orbiter will keep moving in the elliptical path for minimum six months and will keep on sending the collected data on the earth.

The MOM spacecraft was launched on its nine-month-long journey on a homegrown PSLV rocket from Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh on November 5, 2013. MOM escaped the earth's gravitational pullon December 1, 2013 and successfully entered the Mars orbit on September 24, 2014.