India is planning to launch a space probe that will orbit Mars next year.

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) Chairman, K. Radhakrishnan, says they plan to have the launch on November 27, 2013, when Mars would be closer to Earth. "We plan to put a spacecraft in an elliptical orbit for studying its atmosphere and [to] detect presence of life on its surface," he said.

The project would mark another step in India's ambitious space programme. It placed a probe on the moon three years ago and hopes to complete its first manned mission in 2016.

According to Mr Radhakrishnan, the unmanned mission could cost nearly five billion Rupees (around USD $90 million).

The United States, Russia, Europe, Japan and China have all sent missions to Mars. The US robot, Curiosity is currently on the surface of the Red Planet after landing on Mars more than a month ago.

National Pride

India's well-established space programme is a source of strong national pride but it has also been criticised, as the government struggles to tackle dire poverty and child malnutrition.

In September 2009, India's Chandrayaan-1 lunar probe discovered water on the moon, boosting the country's credibility among more experienced space-faring nations. However, there was a setback in December 2010, when a satellite launch vehicle blew up and fell into the Bay of Bengal after veering from its intended flight path.

AFP