In 2014, India’s Mars Orbiter Mission meant the country was the first in the world to successfully place a satellite into orbit around Mars on its initial attempt.

The mission, named Mangalyaan, was one of the cheapest interplanetary missions ever. It cost less than a Hollywood film.

Indian scientist, Dr Mylswamy Annadurai, also known as ‘moon man of India,’ was programme director for the mission. He tells Gill Kearsley about this momentous event.

Eye-witness accounts brought to life by archive. Witness History is for those fascinated by the past. We take you to the events that have shaped our world through the eyes of the people who were there. For nine minutes every day, we take you back in time and all over the world, to examine wars, coups, scientific discoveries, cultural moments and much more.

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(Photo: The control centre for India’s Mars Orbiter Mission. Credit: Pallava Bagla/Corbis via Getty Images)