Highlights: India reaches Mars, Prime Minister Narendra Modi showers praises on ISRO

9:03 am: Howdy @MarsCuriosity ? Keep in touch. I’ll be around, tweets ISRO’s new Mars Orbiter Twitter Handle @MarsOrbiter

Howdy @MarsCuriosity ? Keep in touch. I’ll be around.

— ISRO’s Mars Orbiter (@MarsOrbiter) September 24, 2014

8:44 am: 

I’ll be back after breakfast. Good ol’ sunlight. It’s good for your battery.

— ISRO’s Mars Orbiter (@MarsOrbiter) September 24, 2014

8:40 am: If our cricket team wins 1 tournament country celebrates. This mission is thousand times bigger achievement: PM Modi

8.37 am: NASA congratulates ISRO:

We congratulate @ISRO for its Mars arrival! @MarsOrbiter joins the missions studying the Red Planet. #JourneyToMars pic.twitter.com/lz90flOZLG

— NASA (@NASA) September 24, 2014

8.32 am: Prime Minister Narendra Modi says this day must be celebrated as ‘Anand Utsav’.

8.31 am: This has been achieved after years of hardwork and blessings/wishes of all Indians.

8.25 am: This too must become a base for challenging the next frontier, says Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

8.23 am: Our space programme has been an example of achievement, which inspires us to strive for excellence.

8.20 am: With your efforts and hard work, we have developed the habit of achieving the impossible, Prime Minister Narendra Modi tells ISRO scientists.

8.18 am: With every success, comes a new challenge, says Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

8.14 am: These are accomplishments that will go down in the pages of history, says Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

8.13 am: We have gone beyond the boundaries of human enterprise and imagination, PM addresses ISRO scientists.

8.10 am: Mars has got a MOM today, always knew MOM will not let us down, says Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

8.03 am: ISRO becomes fourth space agency to complete Mars mission. First in Asia and first to do it in first attempt.

8.00 am: India’s Mars mission a success as Mangalyan enters Mars orbit.

7.56 am: Scientists will wait for over a week before deploying science instruments on MOS. Camera will be used today for first pix.

7.55 am: Scientists glued to monitors eagerly awaiting data on whether MOS has gone into Mars orbit to plan of 423 km x 80,000 km.

7.50 am:

Occultation is now behind us! Telemetry must have activated. Allow it another nerve wracking 12.5 minutes. pic.twitter.com/HSaNsQ3xdd

— ISRO (@isro) September 24, 2014

7.49 am: The speed of the main engine is 1098.7 meters per second.

7.42 am:

Burn end? The firing must have been completed by now & MOM must be turning towards Earth to resume communication. pic.twitter.com/ztn42wHwfN

— ISRO (@isro) September 24, 2014

7.40 am: Mangalyaan entering into Mars orbit just a few hours after NASA’s Maven did.

7.31 am:

All engines of the #MarsOrbiter are going strong. Burn start confirmed. pic.twitter.com/U01nRSysIS

— ISRO (@isro) September 24, 2014

7.25 am:

#MarsOrbiter Going behind Mars pic.twitter.com/TFaFOJ1Omp

— ISRO (@isro) September 24, 2014

7.19 am:

#MarsOrbiter Burn must have started. All engines must have started firing by now. Skip a few heartbeats and stand by for confirmation.

— ISRO (@isro) September 24, 2014

7.14 am:

#MarsOrbiter is now in the shadow of Mars. pic.twitter.com/m58jY9WxTd

— ISRO (@isro) September 24, 2014

7.15 am:

#MarsOrbiter start of forward rotation is confirmed. pic.twitter.com/0eh7Ry8OmN

— ISRO (@isro) September 24, 2014

7.05 am: Prime Minister Narendra Modi reaches ISRO Control Room.

# Around 12 Noon — all details from spacecraft likely to be received

# First picture of Mars from Mars Orbiter likely by evening

7.00 am: ISRO tweeted that the forward rotation of the aircraft, which was scheduled at 6.56 am, must have begun.

Forward Rotation must have begun,it is required to align the direction of firing for effective braking. Confirmation reaches after 12.5 mins

— ISRO (@isro) September 24, 2014