(Image source from: Mangalyaan enters second phase of its Mission Mars})

Thwarting a major threat, India's maiden venture to the Red Planet successfully entered the second phase of its 10-month long mission to Mars on Sunday.

After burning the Mars Orbiter Mission main engine for more than 20 minute, the spacecraft was finally launched into its designated Mars Transfer Trajectory set across a distance of 680 million-km-long.

The spacecraft, Mangalyaan, is now on its way to Mars, after completing a 10 months journey around the Sun, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) said.

If successful, India would join a small league of nations like the United States, Europe and Russia, whose probes have either orbited or landed on Mars.

“The spacecraft is being continuously monitored from the Spacecraft Control Centre at ISRO Telemetry, Tracking and Command Network (ISTRAC) in Bangalore, with support from Indian Deep Space Network (IDSN) antennae at Byalalu in Ramanagara district, Karnataka,” revealed ISRO.

AW: Suchorita Dutta Choudhury