India to launch 'Mangalyaan' to Mars to strengthen space race with China

the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is reportedly going to launch a spacecraft to Mars in a move to strengthen its space race with China.

ISRO is said to have planning to set out “Mangalyaan” to test the capability of India's space technology to carry out interplanetary missions, the BBC reports.

Since a Chinese attempt to send a spacecraft to Mars was aborted because of a technical problem in 2011, the Indian space agency fast-tracked its Mars mission.

The spacecraft will also collect scientific information about the planet's atmosphere and surface, the report added.

The Mangalyaan probe was set to launch on 28 October, but rough weather condition in the Pacific delayed the process by a week.

If the mission succeeds, ISRO will become the fourth space agency, after those in the U.S., Europe and Russia to have successfully sent a spacecraft to Mars.