ISRO fixes Nov 5 for Mars mission

Mission has had to wait until the main ship deployed to track launch events reached South Pacific

The Mars Orbiter Mission, which was postponed by the by a week because of the inclement weather in the south Pacific, has now been scheduled for launch on November 5.

The mission has had to wait until the main ship deployed to track launch events reached the South Pacific, on Monday. The launch of India's first interplanetary probe, Mars Orbiter Spacecraft onboard PSLV-C25 (in its XL version), is scheduled now on November 5, 2013 from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre SHAR, Sriharikota. The lift-off time is 2.36 pm.

Bad weather in the South Pacific had delayed the ship, MV SCI Nalanda, from reaching Fiji on Saturday.The other ship, Yamuna, had reached earlier.

The two ships, deployed last month, carry tracking terminals and are a crucial link in relaying real-time data about the last stages of the launch and release of the spacecraft, which will happen over the South Pacific.

Isro had hoped to send the Mars spacecraft up on October 28, the first day of its planned time band or 'window’. The launch window would be open till November 19.

The main aim of the Rs 450 crore mission is to establish if India’s space technology is capable of interplanetary journeys. The mission will also collect scientific data from the Mars’ surface.

If the Indians are successful they will become only the fourth space agency – after the American, European and Russian – to send a spacecraft to Mars.

It will also give the country’s pride a shot in the arm and see them beat China to the red planet. China had aborted an attempt to send a spacecraft to Mars in 2011, and this is said to have prompted India to fast-track its mission, preparing it in just 15 months.