India's interplanetary presence is still in its infancy, but the nation's very first mission is off to a great start with these incredible 3D images of a massive canyon on Mars.

The images show part of a canyon that's nearly 200 miles long and 40 miles wide, known as Ophir Chasma. According to the Indian Space Research Organisation's website, Ophir Chasma is part of the Valles Marineris, the largest canyon system in the solar system.

Launched in November 2013, the Mangalyaan spacecraft – "Mars-craft" in Sanskrit – seemed destined for failure. Even Mars missions out of the U.S. and other nations with a long history of space exploration have less than a 50-50 shot at success. But Mangalyaan beat the odds in September 2014 when it reached Mars orbit.

Since then, Mangalyaan has been busily surveying the red planet's atmosphere and rocky surface. For the latter task, it uses a Thermal Infrared Spectrometer and tricolor Mars Colour Camera to capture detailed images.

The Indian Space Research Organisation is clearly doing a lot of things right, considering that it was not only successful in its first attempt at reaching Mars, but also managed to do so at record low cost. Whereas NASA's Maven Mars orbiter mission cost a staggering $671 million, Mangalyaan cost a comparatively measly $74 million — even though the two spacecraft launched within weeks of each other.

Mangalyaan has already achieved its main goal by simply proving that India can send a spacecraft to Mars. Hopefully nations struggling to fund space exploration – that means you, America – can learn something from this low-budget success story.

Via: CNET