(Image source from: Mangalyaan clears crucial test)

India's Mars Orbitter Mission hit a new milestone today. Mangalyaan which has been on an onerous nine-month-long voyage to the Red Planet, cleared a crucial test today.

The central rocket engine that was lying dormant hitherto was successfully test-fired today.

The confirmation was released by the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) which revealed that the engine had a "perfect burn”. Even the trajectory has also been corrected. Now all systems are set for the big event on September 24, the day Mangalyaan will enter the Martian orbit.

Launched last year November, Mangalyaan has successfully braved all rough winds in space. The satellite harbors one large rocket motor and eight smaller thrusters. The larger one had been on an extended slumber. But now, it has been 'woken up' for a few seconds in a risky, but successful, operation by the ISRO.

On this occasion, ISRO Chairman K Radhakrishnan said, "We have done a lot of ground simulations and hope that the four-second test will slow the satellite down and correct its trajectory as well in a two-in-one operation".

The large rocket motor on board has performed flawlessly in over two dozen earlier missions since 1992, and scientists were confident that this time too, things would work out.

"All commands have been uploaded and the satellite will perform the tasks automatically," Mission controller B N Ramakrishna had said.

AW: Suchorita Choudhury