India ’ s groundbreaking Mars Orbiter Mission ( Mom ) has returned stunning images , revealing an enormous canyon and its moon Phobos in orbit . The spacecraft itself entered orbit around Mars in September 2014 , and has now started returning key data as its mission continues . This included the switching on of a new methane sensor yesterday , which has allowed scientists to measure the amount of radiation on the Martian surface - and could help in the search for life . Scroll down for video . This spectacular image reveals Phobos , one of the two moons orbiting Mars ( the other is Deimos ) , silhouetted against the Martian surface ( shown ) . Although Phobos is the larger of the two moons , it is still only about 14 miles ( 22km ) across , and completes an orbit of Mars once every seven Earth hours . The odd colour of Mars is due to the specific filters used by the camera . The latest images , released by the Indian Space Research Organisation ( ISRO ) , include a spectacular 3D view of Arsia Mons , a huge volcano on the surface of Mars that has its peak 10 miles ( 16km ) high . Volcanic despoits can be seen on the flanks of the mountain in the image , which was mapped from an altitude of 6,653 miles ( 10,707km ) and has a resolution of 1,824ft ( 556 metres ) per pixel . The Indian Space Research Organisation ( ISRO ) has released amazing images from its Mars Orbiter Mission ( Mom ) . Among them is this 3D view of Arsia Mons , a huge dormant volcano on the surface of the planet . Volcanic deposits can be seen on its flanks . The ISRO 's Mars Orbiter Mission ( Mom ) , India 's first spacecraft launched to Mars , arrived 23 September 2014 to study the Martian surface and atmosphere and demonstrate technologies needed for interplanetary missions . One of the working group 's objectives will be to explore potential coordinated observations and science analysis between Nasa 's Maven spacecraft and Mom , as well as other current and future Mars missions . The team are also searching for methane on the surface , which could indicate signs of life on the planet . The Mars Orbiter Laser Altimeter ( Mola ) instrument on the spacecraft was used to help map the topography of the region . An equally spectacular image reveals Phobos , one of the two moons orbiting Mars ( the other is Deimos ) , silhouetted against the Martian surface . Although Phobos is the larger of the two moons , it is still only about 14 miles ( 22km ) across , and completes an orbit of Mars once every seven Earth hours . The images were taken with the Mars Colour Camera ( MCC ) on the spacecraft , which weighs 2.9lbs ( 1.3kg ) and is used to view the surface of Mars and its moons . In a close-up view of the surface , the MCC captured a shot of the huge Valles Marineris Canyon – which at more than 2,500 miles ( 4,000km ) long is one of the largest canyons in the solar system , covering nearly a fifth the circumference of Mars . The image was taken from an altitude of 15,000 miles ( 24,000km ) , with a resolution of about 0.7 miles ( 1.2km ) per pixel . A portion of the canyon known as Eos Chaos was also observed by the spacecraft , revealing fracture patterns in the surface . The images of the surface could help scientists understand the geological processes taking place on Mars at a local scale . In this close-up view of the surface , the Mars Colour Camera on the spacecraft captured a shot of the huge Valles Marineris Canyon - which at more than 2,500 miles ( 4,000km ) long is one of the largest canyons in the solar system , covering nearly a fifth the circumference of Mars . This portion of the canyon , known as Eos Chaos , was also observed by the spacecraft , revealing fracture patterns in the surface . The images could help scientists understand the geological processes taking place on Mars at a local scale . This week also marked the return of results from the Methane Sensor for Mars ( MSM ) payload on the spacecraft , which will detect the presence of methane in the atmosphere . It measured the reflectivity of the Martian surface , to work out how much of the sun ’ s radiation is reflected back into space by the planet . Officials said they will not release the data until it has been peer-reviewed , though , reported Sen . But it is the hunt for methane that is of particular importance , as it could indicate whether there is life on Mars or not . Dr Syed Maqbool Ahmed , a former scientist on India ’ s Chandrayaan-1 lunar mission said on his blog that the use of the MSM was important as it proved the instrument worked . ‘ This is like scaling Mt . Everest for an instrument specialist like me , ’ he said . This image , showing the limb of Mars against the void of space , was taken using the Mars Colour Camera from an altitude of 8,449km . The ISRO 's Mars Orbiter Mission ( Mom ) , illustration shown , is India 's first spacecraft sent to Mars . It arrived 23 September 2014 to study the Martian surface and atmosphere and demonstrate technologies needed for interplanetary missions .
The Indian Space imaging Organisation ( ISRO ) has released amazing images from its Mars Orbiter satellite ( Mom ) They include an 3D rendering of the crater Mons crater and a silhouette of the moon Phobos against the planet . Another image shows the enormous Valles Marineris crater on the surface of the red planet . This week also marked a successful test of a methane sensor , which will search for traces of contamination on Mars .