They also did so at a remarkably low cost, with the total bill coming in at under $73 million, or about a fifth of what the few other countries that have sought to explore Mars have spent. Indeed, while Indians often lament their country’s dysfunction, inadequate infrastructure, antiquated industrial processes, and uneven manufacturing record, it rose to the challenge and delivered.
Mangalyaan是印度第一颗行星间卫星，它是专门为火星任务建造的，并且完全自主研发。在印度受教育的科学家大约用了15个月的时间设计和制造这颗卫星——这对于印度这个以拖延症闻名，“印度标准时间”沦为世界笑话的国家来说不可谓不神速。卫星的设计和制造还具有低成本的显著特征，总花费还不到7 300万美元，是其他极少数试图探索火星的国家的花费的五分之一。事实上，尽管印度人时常哀叹祖国做事不争气、基础设施不足、工业生产过程不完善、制造业记录不平衡，但印度还是战胜了挑战，结出了成果。