Chennai: India’s ambitious Rs.450 crore space mission to Mars has now been fixed for blast-off on November 5, said a top Indian space agency official on Tuesday.
“The Mars mission has been fixed for Nov 5. The heat shield of the rocket (Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle-PSLV) has been closed and the final electrical checks will be carried out Wednesday,” K.Radhakrishnan, chairman, Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), told IANS.
The ISRO will be firing its landmark rocket soon after Diwali from its spaceport in Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh, around 80 km from here.
The rocket will blast off in the afternoon of Nov 5, a Tuesday. In Tamil, Mars planet is called Sevvai Graham and Tuesday is also called Sevvai. In Hindi, Mars is called Mangal and Tuesday is Mangalwar.
From Fiji, both the ships have to travel to their respective locations to track the rocket. (IANS)