India has launched its first mission to Mars as the country aims to become the first Asian nation to reach the red planet.
The Mars Orbiter Mission spacecraft blasted off from India's south eastern coast and will travel for 300 days with the satellite scheduled to start orbiting Mars by next September, searching for methane and signs of minerals.
"This is our modest beginning for our interplanetary mission," said Deviprasad Karnik, spokesman for the state-run Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO).
The Indian Government said a successful mission will showcase India's low-cost space technology and make India only the fourth country or region in the world to reach Mars.
Only the United States, Europe, and Russia have sent probes that have orbited or landed on Mars.
The probe's $73 million price tag is a fraction of the cost of NASA's MAVEN mission, which is due to launch later this month.
Analysts say India could capture more of the $304bn global space market with its low-cost technology.
However, opposition parties have questioned the wisdom of a funding a space programme when the country is tackling high levels of poverty and an economic slowdown.
