ISRO initiates pre-countdown activities for Mars Orbiter Mission

The pre-count down activities of India’s first mission to Mars has begun at 08:45 hrs on Saturday, the Indian Space Research Organisation announced.

Zee Media Bureau\Philaso G Kaping

Sriharikota: The pre-count down activities of India’s first mission to Mars begun at 08:45 am on Saturday, the Indian Space Research Organisation announced. The launch rehearsal of PSLV-C25/Mars Orbiter Mission was completed successfully in the afternoon on Thursday after which the Launch Authorisation Board approved and cleared the launch for November 5, 2013 at 14:38 hrs (IST) yesterday. The 56 and half hour countdown for the launch will begin tomorrow at 06:08 hrs, said ISRO. Some of the objectives of the Rs 430-crore Mars Orbiter Mission (MOM) are to develop the technologies required for design, planning, management and operations of an interplanetary mission and also to study the Martian surface and atmosphere using indigenous scientific instruments. NASA will be providing support services with their deep space network facilities.