India successfully launched the Mars Orbiter Mission (MOM), also called Mangalyaan, in 2013 for $74 million, making it the least expensive Mars mission to date. MOM aims to study the Martian surface and atmosphere using scientific instruments onboard. It achieved orbit around Mars on its first attempt, joining an elite group of space agencies that have reached Mars. The mission demonstrated India's technological capability and the success was led by scientists like K. Radhakrishnan and S.K. Shivakumar.