India's first mission to Mars blasted off successfully yesterday, completing the first stage of an 11-month journey that could see New Delhi's low-cost programme win Asia's race to the red planet.
A 350-tonne rocket carrying an unmanned probe soared into a slightly overcast sky on schedule at 2.38pm local time, monitored by dozens of tense-looking scientists at the southern spaceport of Sriharikota.
After 44 minutes, applause broke out around the control room when navigation ships in the South Pacific reported that the spacecraft had successfully entered orbit around earth.
Indian Space Research Organisation chairman K. Radhakrishnan allowed himself a smile, slapped a colleague on the back and announced he was "extremely happy" that the first objective had been reached.
At the end of the month, once enough velocity has been built up by the spacecraft as it circles our planet, "the great, long, difficult voyage will start" to Mars, he said.