The Indian Space Research Organisation’s (ISRO) main focus for nearly ten months was the success of their Mars Orbiter Mission (MOM). On September 24th 2014, the Mangalyaan spacecraft successfully entered into orbit of the Red Planet on its maiden attempt, an achievement never before realised by any other nation. This expedition is undeniably a real triumph and a moment of national pride for the Indian subcontinent, but the road to success was not an easy one. Almost from the beginning, criticism had been pouring in, claiming that India had taken on much more than it could really afford to handle. Now, in reflection its time to judge whether the entire mission was really worth it or not.

The most exciting part of the MOM’s success lies in its record low cost. ISRO pulled off the entire mission with a budget of just over $70 million. A figure which is about a ninth of the cost of the 2013 space blockbuster ‘Gravity’. One argument is that, given the tight budget of the programme, ISRO has had to be far more novel in the way that it set about planning such a mathematically difficult operation. This may put pressure on other organisations like NASA and the European Space Agency to find new ways of becoming more cost efficient. NASA, in particularly are looking into a new strategy that involves opening up development contracts with private enterprise, in order to cut down on the cost of space travel. Overall, it is clear that Mangalyaan has led the way in showing that ambitious projects can be successfully completed in a cost-conscious manner. A more competitive and innovative international space exploration sector has emerged; one in which India will definitely be seen as leading player.

However, many were worried that the country was being too irresponsible in diverting a lot of its public funding towards an ambitious space programme, when so much of the subcontinent still remains living in poverty. A limited health service, growing unemployment, inadequate education and training services are stubborn features of the nation’s economy. The Indian economy will face a tipping point in the next decade, with its population set to reach 1.5 billion by 2026. At least 20 million formal jobs will have to be created every year in order to match this population boom and it remains to be seen whether its financial infrastructure will cope. As such, it is debatable whether a lucrative space mission will be productive way to raise the nation’s Gross Domestic Product. From these statistics, it is clear that ISRO and the government will have to proceed with caution in future years if it plans to justify further funding for space exploration missions.

However, much of the criticism placed upon the MOM came well before the result was seen. Many have argued that the Mars mission was a successful publicity move to showcase and advertise India’s future superpower influence. Mangalyaan’s successful orbit provides strong evidence for the value of the continuation of the Indian space programme, even if its overall ISRO budget is reduced, the international media attention the achievement brought is sure to capture the attention of potential global investors. This world-class scientific and technical prowess will be an asset to the Indian economy in years to come. There has been an outflow of well-educated Indian scientists and engineers to Europe and the US over several years and the prioritisation of the Indian space programme could be a realistic attempt to reverse this trend.

ISRO will be a strong international competitor in the space exploration sector in the future, with its cost-conscious yet technically proficient approach. It has an established history and the success of the MOM will create an economic and scientific legacy that ISRO can build upon in future years. There is something of a value here that has been built through this triumph, showing that the space exploration sector is worthy of investment and time. An entire subcontinent was brought together in a swell of national pride and that really is something special. In establishing the Mars mission, India brought an entire country together, increased its international exposure and broadened its future ambitions. So, yes in my opinion, the Mars Orbiter Mission was definitely worth the cost.