New Delhi (AFP) - India successfully launched its first mission to Mars on Tuesday, aiming to become the only Asian nation to reach the Red Planet with a programme showcasing its low-cost space technology.
"It's lift off," said a commentator on state television as the red-and-black rocket blasted into a slightly overcast sky on schedule at 02:38 pm (0908 GMT) from the southern spaceport in Sriharikota.
The 350-tonne launch vehicle carrying an unmanned probe was monitored by dozens of tense-looking scientists in white lab coats who faced their most daunting task since India began its space programme in 1963.
The country has never before attempted inter-planetary travel, and more than half of all missions to Mars have ended in failure, including China's in 2011 and Japan's in 2003.
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