Modi congratulates ISRO for Mars Orbiter Mission

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi on Tuesday congratulated the scientists of Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) after India's first-ever Mars Orbiter Mission lifted off from Sriharikota.

"India has once again established itself in the world. I congratulate the scientists and technicians behind the mission", Modi said.

"On the behalf of BJP party, I congratulate all the scientists and all those associated with mission mars. Due to the successful efforts of scientists, today India will be able to put its name at the highest scientific platform," Modi added.

India's Mars Orbiter Mission, Mangalyaan, launched through PSLV C 25 at 2.38 pm this afternoon from the first launch pad of the Satish Dhawan Space Centre at Sriharikota.

The 44 metre tall PSLV C25 in its XL configuration carried the 1337 kg MARS orbiter into elliptical orbit which is 23,500 km from the earth.

To reach Mars, the spacecraft has to enter three phases, the earth centered phase, the helio centric phase and finally the Martian phase.

It will take twenty five more days for Mangalyaan to depart from the earth orbit to the trajectory path.

European Space Agency (ESA) of European consortium, National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) of the US and Roscosmos of Russia are the only three agencies which have so far sent their missions to the red planet.