On September 24, 2014, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) pulled off an extraordinary feat of celestial mechanics: its Mars Orbiter Mission, nicknamed Mangalyaan, successfully slipped into Martian orbit on its very first attempt. India became the first Asian nation to reach the Red Planet, and the first globally to do so on debut. What captivated the tech world was the price tag: roughly $74 million, a fraction of contemporary missions and famously less than Hollywood’s budget for the film Gravity. By maximizing gravitational slingshots and practicing disciplined, modular engineering, ISRO redefined deep-space exploration. Mangalyaan shattered the myth that interplanetary ambition requires astronomical budgets, offering a masterclass in algorithmic efficiency and frugal innovation for the modern space age.