Operator ISRO Bus I-3K Launch date ≈2020 | Mission duration Planned: 1 year Manufacturer ISAC | |
Mission type Mars orbiter, lander, and rover | ||
Mangalyaan 2 ("Mars-craft", from Sanskrit: मंगल mangala, "Mars" and यान yāna, "craft, vehicle") is India's second interplanetary mission planned for launch to Mars by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) in 2020. It will consist of an orbiter, and may include a lander and a rover.
History
After ISRO's successful launch and orbit of Mars by its first probe, the Mars Orbiter Mission (MOM), ISRO announced the second mission on 28 October 2014 at the Engineers Conclave 2014 conference held in Bangalore. The agency hopes to have its heavy lift launcher GSLV III fully operational by 2016 or 2017. It plans to use the GSLV III for the Chandrayaan 2 mission to the Moon in 2018, and later use it to launch Mangalyaan 2.
In January 2016, India and France signed a letter of intent for ISRO and CNES to jointly build Mangalyaan 2 by 2020.