Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh:
India is inching closer to its maiden mission to Mars with just a day to go before the historic launch on Tuesday.
The 56-hour formal countdown for the launch of Mangalyaan, the unmanned satellite that will fly all the way to the Red Planet, began at Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh on Sunday morning and the lift-off has been scheduled for 2:38 pm tomorrow.
During the countdown, the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV), the Indian Space Research Organisations's workhorse launch vehicle that will carry Mangalyaan, will be fuelled and its health checked. The giant 45-metre rocket will blast off from Sriharikota, which is about 80 kilometres from Chennai.
The launch of Mangalyaan, which was scheduled for October 28 initially, was postponed due to bad weather in the Pacific Ocean. Two Indian ships, SCI Yamuna and Nalanda, which will monitor the health of the rocket and the satellite as it sails over the ocean after the launch, had been delayed due to bad weather.
The launch window will remain open till November 19.
It is of critical importance for Mangalyaan to begin its over 200-million-kilometre journey on its trans-Martian orbit by November 30; further delay could prove disastrous for the mission.
This will be the first-ever launch that ISRO will conduct in November at India's space port, which is usually dogged by recurring cyclones at this time of the year.
The Mangalyaan mission will cost Rs 450 crores and will study the Martian atmosphere.