New Delhi: India is scheduled to launch its Mars Orbiter Mission on Tuesday afternoon, almost a year after Prime Minister Manmohan Singh announced it, and six years after the preparations for the mission began. The mission, expected to be launched between 2.38pm and 2.43pm on Tuesday, will take a year to reach Mars. The mission, who will take a year to reach Mars, will serve to boost India’s scientific credentials as well as its expertise in launching inter-planetary probes, say analysts.
It will also give the country bragging rights for having successfully launched a mission to Mars ahead of Japan and China. There is an ongoing race for space-related power and prestige currently in Asia, although few officials will admit it,” said james moltz, a professor at the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, California, who has written books about the space race. “India is clearly concerned about China’s recent rise in space prestige and wants to minimize that damage.” The project is expected to cost Rs.450 crore.
Bureau Report
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