India’s Mars Orbiter Mission marks historic firsts on Red Planet

India’s Mars Orbiter Mission became the first Asian spacecraft to enter Mars orbit and the first nation worldwide to succeed on its maiden attempt. The probe sent back clear images of a large shield volcano on the Red Planet. The volcano photo is credited to the Indian Space Research Organisation. The article appears in The Hindu’s Science section, published on September 24, 2026 at 05:00 pm Indian Standard Time. The piece invites readers to answer a quiz on the historic mission. The picture shows a large shield volcano with broad, gently sloping sides.