In Asian Space Race, India Inches Closer to Beating China to Mars

India's Mars Orbiter was launched on November 5, 2013 and after 10 months and 19 days is set to enter the Martian orbit on September 24.

On the heels of Chinese President Xi Jinping's historic visit to India, a twenty-first century Asian space race between the two countries is gaining momentum. Though China has proved its superiority in many aspects, India may just prove the winner in the race to Mars.

K Radhakrishnan, Chairman of the Indian Space Research Organisation speaking to NDTV, said "We are racing with ourselves to get into the next level of excellence"

The launch of the PSLV carrying India's Mars Mission in November 2013.

The Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV-C25) rocket lifts off carrying India's Mars spacecraft from the east coast island of Sriharikota, India.
Photo credit: AP

Indians watch the live telecast of the launch of Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV-C25) rocket carrying India's Mars spacecraft from the east-coast island of Sriharikota.
Photo credit: AP

Indian visitors to the Nehru Planetarium watch the live telecast of the launch of India's Mars Orbiter Mission in New Delhi.
Photo credit: AFP

India's first mission to Mars blasted off November 5 with the country aiming to become the only Asian nation to reach the Red Planet with a programme showcasing its low-cost space technology.
Photo credit: AFP

India is aiming to become only the fourth country or group of countries to reach the Red Planet, after the Soviet Union, United States and Europe.

This is India's first Mars mission, and no country has been fully successful on its first try.

An evolved version of India's domestically developed Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle, with extended rockets, is taking the Mangalyaan into an elliptical arc around the Earth.

Mangalyaan has a formidable itinerary: a 300-day, 780-million-kilometre (485 million-mile) journey to orbit Mars and survey its geology and atmosphere.

India has launched its first mission to Mars from the Sriharikota spaceport in Andhra Pradesh. The project was completed in 15 months at a cost of $73 million or Rs. 450 crore. Mangalyaan, which means "Mars craft" in Hindi, lifted off at 2:38 pm from Sriharikota, 80 kilometres from Chennai.