India's Mars Orbiter Mission Successfully Launched

INDIA'S MARS ORBITER MISSION

SUCCESSFULLY LAUNCHED

India launched its first Mars Orbiter Mission probe, officially named Mangalyaan, on Tuesday from Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SHAR), Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh, almost a year after Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had announced it.

The Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV-C25). The mission aims to map the Martian surface, study the atmosphere and search for methane gas, a sign that the planet can support life, according to Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro).

Mars Orbiter Mission Spacecraft attached to PSLV-C25. The 1.3-tonne Mars Orbiter Mission is carrying a Methane sensor for Mars built to measure the natural gas in the Martian atmosphere and map its sources. The project is expected to cost `450 crore.

Scientists at the Isro centre in Bangalore. The spacecraft will move to an elliptical orbit around Earth for around 25 days before leaving on 30 November for a 300-day journey to Mars. Rocket PSLV C25 is the launch vehicle and is about 44.4m tall.

India spends about $1.1 billion a year on its space programmes, compared to $3.3 billion by Japan and $17.9 billion by the US. A successful mission will make India the fourth in the world after the US, Russia and Europe to undertake a successful Mars mission.