March 23, 2025: India is one step closer to making history by landing a spacecraft on Mars. The Space Commission has officially approved the Mars Lander Mission (MLM), also known as Mangalyaan-2. This ambitious project aims to make India the fourth country to achieve this remarkable feat of landing a spacecraft on Mars, following in the footsteps of United States, Russia and China.

The MLM is a significant advancement following the success of Mars Orbiter Mission (MOM) in 2014. India became the first Asian nation to reach Mars Orbit, and it did so on its very first attempt.

The primary goal of Mangalyaan-2 is to deploy both a lander and a rover on the Martian surface.

India’s larger space exploration strategy includes plans for an Indian space station by 2035 and sending the first Indian astronaut to the Moon by 2040.