As scientists at the Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro) are gearing up for the ultimate Mars Orbit Insertion tomorrow, their colleagues from the Nasa Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) have sent wishes for the crucial event.

Pictures of scientists from Nasa holding good luck signs and banners greeted Isro’s facebook page. Nasa’s JPL representatives greeted Isro “Good Luck, MOM! From Your JPL Family !”



With Nasa’s Maven spacecraft safely in orbit around Mars last Sunday after a 10-month and 442 million mile journey, the spotlight shifts to India’s first mission to the Red Planet.

On September 22, Isro successfully conducted testing firing of the main liquid engine, which was in sleep mode for nearly 300 days.

Isro is now gearing up for Mars Orbit Insertion, which is scheduled on Wednesday morning.

Its success will propel India to be the first in the world to enter Martian orbit in its maiden attempt.

Isro will be the fourth space agency after Aeronautics and Space Administration (Nasa) of the US, Russian Federal Space Agency (RFSA) and European Space Agency to have undertaken a mission to Mars.

Earlier, the European, US and Russian probes have managed to orbit or land on the Red Planet, but after several attempts. Of the total 51 missions to Mars, only 21 were successful.