# Mission Over Mars
**Mission Over Mars** (also styled **M-O-M** or **MOM – Mission Over Mars**) is a 2019 Indian Hindi-language drama web series that offers a fictionalized account of the women scientists behind India's Mars Orbiter Mission, known as Mangalyaan, the country's first space probe to orbit Mars.[1](https://www.zee5.com/zee5news/mission-over-mars-review-dont-forget-to-exhale-after-sakshi-tanwar-mona-singhs-series/) It consists of eight half-hour episodes and premiered on 10 September 2019 on the streaming platforms [ALTBalaji](https://www.edgepedia.org/altbalaji) and ZEE5, less than a month after the theatrical film *Mission Mangal* covered the same subject.[2](https://www.gadgets360.com/entertainment/news/mission-over-mars-altbalaji-web-series-download-india-release-date-zee5-2098579) • [3](https://scroll.in/reel/937641/scroll_in)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Format | 8 episodes of roughly 30 minutes each, about 4 hours of total runtime[2](https://www.gadgets360.com/entertainment/news/mission-over-mars-altbalaji-web-series-download-india-release-date-zee5-2098579) |
| Premiere | 10 September 2019 on ALTBalaji and ZEE5[2](https://www.gadgets360.com/entertainment/news/mission-over-mars-altbalaji-web-series-download-india-release-date-zee5-2098579) |
| Subject | Fictional adaptation of ISRO's Mars Orbiter Mission (Mangalyaan), focused on four women scientists[1](https://www.zee5.com/zee5news/mission-over-mars-review-dont-forget-to-exhale-after-sakshi-tanwar-mona-singhs-series/) |
| Lead cast | Sakshi Tanwar, Mona Singh, Nidhi Singh, and Palomi Ghosh[2](https://www.gadgets360.com/entertainment/news/mission-over-mars-altbalaji-web-series-download-india-release-date-zee5-2098579) |
| Director | Vinay Waikul[4](https://www.jiotv.com/tv-shows/mission-over-mars/ea8aebf6f8245f8db10ee2135c72eda7) |
| Production | Balaji Telefilms and Endemol India, co-created for ALTBalaji and ZEE5[2](https://www.gadgets360.com/entertainment/news/mission-over-mars-altbalaji-web-series-download-india-release-date-zee5-2098579) |
| IMDb rating | 7.5/10 from about 3,700 votes[5](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt10449366/ratings/) |
| Status | One season; canceled after season 1[6](https://watch.plex.tv/en-GB/show/mission-over-mars) |
## Spoilers
### Premise and characters
The series is based on true events and depicts four women scientists at the fictional Indian Space Agency (ISA) who play a pivotal role in making the [Mars Orbiter Mission](https://www.edgepedia.org/mars-orbiter-mission) a success, fighting professional and personal battles along the way.[7](https://www.justwatch.com/in/tv-show/mission-over-mars) Because the adaptation is unlicensed, the real ISRO is renamed the ISA and the characters carry invented names.[2](https://www.gadgets360.com/entertainment/news/mission-over-mars-altbalaji-web-series-download-india-release-date-zee5-2098579)
**The four leads.** [Sakshi Tanwar](https://www.edgepedia.org/sakshi-tanwar) plays Nandita Hariprasad, the Program Director of MOM, described as a no-nonsense but fair team leader who is meticulous to the last detail. [Mona Singh](https://www.edgepedia.org/mona-singh) plays Moushumi Ghosh, Project Manager for payload designs and accommodations, a highly competitive scientist juggling motherhood with work. Nidhi Singh plays Neetu Sinha, a mathematician who believes guesses do not work when it comes to numbers. Palomi Ghosh plays Meghan Reddy, a gifted scientist with a high IQ and low emotional intelligence who speaks without a polite filter.[8](https://www.zee5.com/zee5news/meet-the-cast-of-zee5-original-and-altbalaji-original-web-series-mom-mission-over-mars/)
The supporting cast includes [Ashish Vidyarthi](https://www.edgepedia.org/ashish-vidyarthi) as K. Murlidharan, the project head; [Mohan Joshi](https://www.edgepedia.org/mohan-joshi) as Sharad Gokhale; Chittaranjan Tripathy as Binayak Mohanty; and Ankur Rathee as [Gautam Gulati](https://www.edgepedia.org/gautam-gulati).[2](https://www.gadgets360.com/entertainment/news/mission-over-mars-altbalaji-web-series-download-india-release-date-zee5-2098579)
**Episode arc.** The first episode, "Chale Toh Chaand Tak, Nahin Toh Shaam Tak", opens with Moushumi Ghosh facing the failure of a lunar mission called Chandravimaan-1, after which India sets its eye on Mars. The government approves M.O.M on the condition that it launches within 18 months, and Nandita is appointed mission coordinator. Later episodes dramatize a tight budget, a failed MSLV launch, procedural irregularities reported to the Prime Minister's Office, a request for international cooperation, and finally the orbiter leaving Earth's orbit for Mars.[9](https://www.zee5.com/collections/mission-over-mars-all-episodes/0-8-2638)
## Production and the licensing problem
The series was co-created by [Balaji Telefilms](https://www.edgepedia.org/balaji-telefilms) and Endemol India, which is why it appeared on both ALTBalaji and ZEE5.[2](https://www.gadgets360.com/entertainment/news/mission-over-mars-altbalaji-web-series-download-india-release-date-zee5-2098579) Ekta Kapoor is credited as creator.[10](https://www.hindustantimes.com/tv/m-o-m-mission-over-mars-review-mission-mangal-lookalike-is-a-survivor-encourages-us-not-to-give-up-on-chandrayaan-2/story-RCwOT6uIFaAnJCxTo73dNP.html)
**Why the names are fictional.** The rights to ISRO's story had been secured by the film *Mission Mangal*, so *Mission Over Mars* is an unlicensed adaptation. Under its legal and contractual obligations the series "cannot use actual names or images of either the people, objects or agencies in any publicity material".[2](https://www.gadgets360.com/entertainment/news/mission-over-mars-altbalaji-web-series-download-india-release-date-zee5-2098579) When the early posters drew attention for showing no ISRO rockets, ALTBalaji stated that the show is a fictional adaptation and is legally bound not to use actual names or images of the people, objects, or agencies involved; a spokesperson added that the acronym MOM stood for "Mission Over Mars", not "Mars Orbiter Mission".[11](https://science.thewire.in/aerospace/ekta-kapoor-mangalyaan-altbalaji-isro-copyright/)
The show was made available in Hindi with audio versions in Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, and Malayalam, with English subtitles.[12](https://www.zee5.com/gu/global/web-series/details/mission-over-mars/0-6-2006)
## Reception
**Critical response.** Reviewers generally praised the performances while faulting the plotting. [The Indian Express](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-indian-express) called it a feel-good show and judged it a better telling of India's maiden Mars mission than the film, though it noted the series over-dramatizes some situations.[13](https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/web-series/mission-over-mars-first-impression-sakshi-tanwar-and-mona-singh-deliver-a-feel-good-show-5985510/lite/) Scroll.in found that too many obstacles were piled on episode after episode, but that the performances rescued the narrative, with Palomi Ghosh the pick of the cast as an eccentric scientist.[3](https://scroll.in/reel/937641/scroll_in) [Hindustan Times](https://www.edgepedia.org/hindustan-times) described it as Alt Balaji and ZEE5's first sci-fi drama, keeping the story more emotional than scientific.[10](https://www.hindustantimes.com/tv/m-o-m-mission-over-mars-review-mission-mangal-lookalike-is-a-survivor-encourages-us-not-to-give-up-on-chandrayaan-2/story-RCwOT6uIFaAnJCxTo73dNP.html) A Hindustan Times retrospective on Mars in pop culture later called the series the better watch of the two fictionalized retellings of the 2013 mission.[14](https://www.hindustantimes.com/lifestyle/art-culture/mars-as-seen-from-earth-the-red-planet-in-pop-culture-101620404367145-amp.html)
**Audience ratings.** The show holds a 7.5/10 rating on IMDb from about 3,700 user votes; per-episode ratings on IMDb rise across the season, from 6.6 for the premiere to 7.9 for the finale.[5](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt10449366/ratings/) At the Balaji Telefilms annual awards coverage for 2019-20, the series was listed as winning Best Science Fiction Show on Web.[15](https://www.balajitelefilms.com/pdf/annualreports/balajiannualreports/Balaji%20AR%202019-20.pdf)
## Comparison with Mission Mangal
*Mission Over Mars* arrived weeks after *Mission Mangal*, the [Akshay Kumar](https://www.edgepedia.org/akshay-kumar) and [Vidya Balan](https://www.edgepedia.org/vidya-balan) film on the same 2013 mission, and both works highlight the role of women scientists in ISRO's successful attempt to launch an orbiter around Mars.[3](https://scroll.in/reel/937641/scroll_in) Mona Singh, promoting the series, said the two were very different and that the story needed to be told in all mediums.[16](https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/web-series/mona-singh-mission-over-mars-is-very-different-from-mission-mangal-5983408/lite/) Reviewers noted differences of emphasis: the series sidesteps the science of the mission for the most part and draws its energy from the emotions and personal journeys of the scientists, and it uses the longer web-series format to flesh out its themes.[3](https://scroll.in/reel/937641/scroll_in)
## Availability
As of 2026, the series streams on Zee5 and VI movies and tv in India, on subscription or free with ads on both services.[7](https://www.justwatch.com/in/tv-show/mission-over-mars) In Australia it is available on Zee5.[17](https://www.justwatch.com/au/tv-show/mission-over-mars) The show was canceled after its single season of eight episodes.[6](https://watch.plex.tv/en-GB/show/mission-over-mars)
## References
1. [Mission Over Mars Review: Don't Forget To Exhale After Sakshi Tanwar, Mona Singh's Series, ZEE5 News (11 September 2019)](https://www.zee5.com/zee5news/mission-over-mars-review-dont-forget-to-exhale-after-sakshi-tanwar-mona-singhs-series/)
2. [Mission Over Mars Now Streaming on ALTBalaji and ZEE5, Gadgets360 (10 September 2019)](https://www.gadgets360.com/entertainment/news/mission-over-mars-altbalaji-web-series-download-india-release-date-zee5-2098579)
3. ['Mission Over Mars' review: India takes off for the red planet (yet again), Scroll.in (18 September 2019)](https://scroll.in/reel/937641/scroll_in)
4. [Mission Over Mars, JioTV](https://www.jiotv.com/tv-shows/mission-over-mars/ea8aebf6f8245f8db10ee2135c72eda7)
5. [Mission Over Mars (TV Series 2019) - Ratings, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt10449366/ratings/)
6. [Mission Over Mars, Plex](https://watch.plex.tv/en-GB/show/mission-over-mars)
7. [Mission Over Mars - streaming tv show online, JustWatch (India)](https://www.justwatch.com/in/tv-show/mission-over-mars)
8. [Meet The Cast Of ZEE5 Original And ALTBalaji Original Web Series MOM - Mission Over Mars, ZEE5 News (30 August 2019)](https://www.zee5.com/zee5news/meet-the-cast-of-zee5-original-and-altbalaji-original-web-series-mom-mission-over-mars/)
9. [Mission Over Mars - All Episodes, ZEE5](https://www.zee5.com/collections/mission-over-mars-all-episodes/0-8-2638)
10. [M.O.M. Mission Over Mars review, Hindustan Times (14 October 2019)](https://www.hindustantimes.com/tv/m-o-m-mission-over-mars-review-mission-mangal-lookalike-is-a-survivor-encourages-us-not-to-give-up-on-chandrayaan-2/story-RCwOT6uIFaAnJCxTo73dNP.html)
11. [Posters for Ekta Kapoor's Mangalyaan Series Don't Show ISRO Rockets - Why it Matters, The Wire Science (June 2019)](https://science.thewire.in/aerospace/ekta-kapoor-mangalyaan-altbalaji-isro-copyright/)
12. [Mission Over Mars, ZEE5 (Gujarati-language portal)](https://www.zee5.com/gu/global/web-series/details/mission-over-mars/0-6-2006)
13. [Mission Over Mars first impression: Mona Singh and Sakshi Tanwar deliver a feel-good show, The Indian Express (11 September 2019)](https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/web-series/mission-over-mars-first-impression-sakshi-tanwar-and-mona-singh-deliver-a-feel-good-show-5985510/lite/)
14. [Mars, as seen from Earth: The red planet in pop culture, Hindustan Times (2021)](https://www.hindustantimes.com/lifestyle/art-culture/mars-as-seen-from-earth-the-red-planet-in-pop-culture-101620404367145-amp.html)
15. [Balaji Telefilms Limited, Annual Report 2019-20](https://www.balajitelefilms.com/pdf/annualreports/balajiannualreports/Balaji%20AR%202019-20.pdf)
16. [Mona Singh: Mission Over Mars is very different from Mission Mangal, The Indian Express (10 September 2019)](https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/web-series/mona-singh-mission-over-mars-is-very-different-from-mission-mangal-5983408/lite/)
17. [Mission Over Mars - streaming tv show online, JustWatch (Australia)](https://www.justwatch.com/au/tv-show/mission-over-mars)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Series and fictional screen worlds › Unscripted, reality, and web-native series › Web-native and streaming-original series › Indian and South Asian web series › Premiered 2003 to 2020*
*Initially written Oct 3, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 21, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license