India reaches Mars, Mangalyaan successful: What Pakistan, other foreign media say

Bangalore, Sept 24: India created history with the success of Mangalyaan on Wednesday, Sept 24. Mission control at Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) in Bangalore received confirmation of the success at 7:41 am.

The satellite Mangalyaan had entered the orbit of the red planet 12 minutes earlier, but the message needed to traverse the 400m miles (650m km) to Earth.

India now joined an elite club of nations who have successfully carried out interplanetary space missions. India became the first country in the world to make it to Mars orbit successfully with its first attempt.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi was present in the office in Bangalore when ISRO created the history. As scientists celebrated their victory, Modi said, "We have gone beyond the boundaries of human enterprise and innovation.

"We have navigated our craft through a route known to very few," Modi said, congratulating the ISRO team and "all my fellow Indians on this historic occasion".

Mangalyaan, which means "Mars craft" in Hindi, took off from the island of Shriharikota, off India's eastern coast, 10 months ago. The 3,000lb (1,350kg) device first headed for an elliptical orbit around Earth, after which a series of manoeuvres and short burns of its rocket engines sent it on towards Mars.

While Indian media was busy in covering the event, foreign media too have gone abuzz with the success of Mangalyaan. Here are the reactions of foreign media to India's success.

1. India's successful mission to the Red Planet sees it join an elite club that includes United States, Russia and Europe. (Dawn.com).

2. Joy for India as Mars mission enters orbit -- Critics of the programme say a country that struggles to feed its people adequately and where roughly half have no toilets should not be splurging on space travel. (The Express Tribune)

3. India Mars mission enters orbit: ground control -- (The News)

4. India becomes first Asian nation to reach Mars orbit, joins elite global space club -- India, the first nation in the world to successfully reach Mars on its first attempt. (Washington Post)

5. India Satellite Reaches Mars Orbit on First Try -- India put a satellite into Mars orbit early Wednesday, the only nation to have done so on a maiden voyage and the first in Asia to reach the red planet. (The Wall Street Journal)

6. "Better than the cricket team" - Indian PM Modi celebrates success of country's Mars orbiter -- A 24-minute engine burn slowed the probe down enough to allow it to be captured by Mars' gravity. (BBC World)

7. India becomes the first nation to arrive in Mars' orbit on its first attempt -- The staff at the Indian Space Research Organization erupted into applause and cheers after learning that the Mars Orbiter Mission, also known as Mangalyaan, reached the planet's orbit and made history. (CNN International)

8. India's Mars satellite successfully enters orbit, bringing country into space elite -- Modi, who travels to the US to address the United Nations later this week, called for further efforts "for challenging, the next frontier". (The Guardian)

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