Scientists at ISRO's Deep Space Network at Bylalu, about 40km from Bangalore, are monitoring the Orbiter's odyssey and programming its computer for sending and receiving commands for its operations despite a 20-minute delay in the exercise due to the distance between earth and deep space.
The Orbiter zoomed out on December 4 of the earth's sphere of influence, which extends up to 925,000km in the cosmic space and became free of its gravitational pull.
After a nine-month journey, the spacecraft will enter the Mars sphere of influence, which is around 573,473km from its surface, in a hyperbolic trajectory.
When the spacecraft is closest to the red planet, it will be captured into the Martian orbit through a crucial manoeuvre, which involves slowing its velocity.
India became the first Asian country and fourth nation in the world to leap into the interplanetary space with its Rs. 450-crore exploratory mission to Mars, about 400-million km from earth.
