India's Mars mission: Mangalyaan orbiter successfully launched into space
India has successfully launched its first mission to Mars as it aims to become the only Asian nation to reach the red planet.
"It's lift off," said a commentator on state television as the red-and-black rocket launched into a slightly overcast sky on schedule from the spaceport in Sriharikota.
The 350-tonne launch vehicle, carrying an unmanned probe, was monitored by dozens of control room scientists who face their most daunting task since India began its space program in 1963.
The country has never before attempted interplanetary travel and more than half of all missions to Mars have ended in failure, including one by China in 2011 and another by Japan in 2003.
The Mars orbiter mission, known as Mangalyaan in India, was announced only 15 months ago by prime minister Manmohan Singh, shortly after China's attempt flopped when its rocket failed to leave Earth's atmosphere.
The timing led to speculation India was seeking to make a point to its militarily and economically superior neighbour, despite denials from the country's space agency.
The gold-coloured probe, the size of a small car, will aim to detect methane in the Martian atmosphere.
It was hurriedly assembled and is being carried by a rocket much smaller than American or Russian equivalents.
Lacking the power to fly to Mars directly, the launch vehicle will orbit Earth for nearly a month, building up the necessary velocity to break free from our planet's gravitational pull.
Only then will it begin the second stage of its nine-month journey, testing India's scientists to the full five years after they sent a probe called Chandrayaan to the moon.
The cost of the Mars mission is $73 million, less than a sixth of the amount earmarked for a Mars probe by NASA that will launched later this month.
"We didn't believe they'd be able to launch this early," NASA Mars probe project scientist Joe Grebowsky, said.
"If it's successful, it's fantastic."
Critics say money could be better spent elsewhere
The cost of the program has brought criticism from some who say a country that struggles to feed its people adequately and where more than half have no toilets should not be paying for space travel.
Among them is Dr Ranjana Kumari, a prominent social activist based in New Delhi.
We didn't believe they'd be able to launch this early. If it's successful, it's fantastic.NASA Mars probe project scientist Joe Grebowsky
"I certainly think where one third of the population is below poverty line and struggling, almost barely surviving, certainly the priorities have to be more for social programs, for ensuring that everybody gets at least shelter and two square meals a day," he said.
The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) counters that its technology has helped economic development through satellites that monitor weather and water resources, or enable communication in remote areas.
The Bangalore-based organisation and its 16,000 staff also share their rocket technology with the state-run defence body responsible for India's missile program.
SV Kotwal, the head of Larsen and Toubro, a company that has played a significant role in the development of the program, said: "The Indian Space Research Organisation has got a huge plan for launching a large number of communication satellites.
"They have successfully demonstrated that they can launch satellites for other countries, and therefore I believe companies like ourselves - who have actually demonstrated a continuity in this whole field and have long-term vision - I think this is the time when we will now start seeing the fruits of that."
Missions aims to detect traces of life
The US is the only nation that has successfully sent robotic explorers to land on Mars, the most recent being Curiosity, which touched down in August 2012.
One of its discoveries appeared to undercut the purpose of the Indian mission, which is to find evidence of methane that would lend credence to the idea of Mars supporting a primitive form of life.
A study of data from Curiosity published in September found the rover had detected only trace elements of methane in the atmosphere.
"Remember that it [Curiosity's methane reading] is for a single spot. One point doesn't make it a story for the whole planet," leading Indian scientist Jitendra Nath Goswami said.
NASA, which will launch its Maven probe on November 18 to study why Mars lost its atmosphere, is helping ISRO with communications.
Clouds of methane have previously been identified by telescopes on Mars, but the gas has never been confirmed by a mission there.
India's next ambition is to put a man into orbit.
Indian astronauts are tipped to be known as "vyomanauts", a term that derives from the Sanskrit word for the sky.