India Beats China to Mars Orbit at 11% Cost of U.S. Probe
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A $74 million Indian spacecraft entered orbit around Mars today after an almost yearlong voyage, and for 11 percent the cost of the U.S.’s Maven probe.
Mangalyaan, or “Mars craft” in Hindi, made orbit after a trip of about 661 million kilometers (411 million miles), the Indian Space Research Organization said. The satellite is India’s first Mars mission and reached the red planet two days after the $671 million Maven craft.