India's Mars Orbiter Mission to face crucial test today

India's Mars Orbiter Mission will face the first test of its last manoeuvre around 2.30 pm today when the main liquid engine of the spacecraft is expected to fire for four seconds. Indian Space Research Organisation, ISRO scientists loaded the commands last week to test if the engine, which has been idling for close to 300 days after it left the Earth's orbit on December 1 last year, is in good shape.The spacecraft authorization committee earlier this month decided to carry out the four-second test to ensure that the long duration of idling has not affected the engine that carries corrosive fuel. The 440 Newton liquid engine was last fired on December 1 to slingshot the spacecraft from an Earth orbit to the Martian trajectory. Scientists monitor the Mars Orbiter Mission at the ISRO's Telemetry, Tracking and Command Network in Bangalore.