India’s first interplanetary mission (to Mars). It has two primary goals: to test key technologies for interplanetary exploration; and to use its five science instruments to explore the surface of Mars (observing its morphology and mineralogy), as well as its atmosphere. Also known as Mangalyaan (Hindi for ‘Mars Craft’), MOM lifted off from the Satish Dhawan Space Center on 5 November 2013 on a polar orbit launch vehicle. After a 300-day journey, the craft entered Mars orbit on 24 September 2014 and entered an elliptical (366 x 80 000 km) orbit, making it the first maiden Mars mission of any country to succeed. The orbiter delivered its first science results in 2015, including a 10–15˚ C temperature dip in zones of Martian dust storms and a series of rare high-resolution images of the backside of Deimos, which could suggest a possible difference in surface characteristics between its near and far sides. Designed to last six months, the craft completed 1 000 Earth days in orbit around Mars on 9 June 2017 and remains in good health. It is now in an extended mission mode and will be operated for as long as possible.