<p> India is just one step away from creating history, with Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro) officials on Monday giving final touches to a rocket at Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC) in Sriharikota for launching an inter-planetary satellite to Mars on Tuesday.<br /><br /></p>.<p>“After the countdown, all parameters of the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV-C-25), which carries the Mars Orbiter, are progressing well. Mandatory checks and preparations for propellant filling operations of second stage are in progress,” a senior scientist from Isro told Deccan Herald.<br /><br />He said ahead of the launch, officials carried out a rehearsal successfully at the first launch pad of SDSC.<br /><br />The unmanned spacecraft would be launched from SDSC in Sriharikota, about 90 km from here, at 2:38 pm on Tuesday.<br /><br />With the Met office here predicting heavy downpour, especially in the coastal Tamil Nadu during the next 48 hours, space officials said the mission would not be affected by rain. “Rain does not matter. The launch vehicle is water-proof. Even if the vehicle gets drenched, we can launch it,” the official said.<br /><br />Vehicle tracking stations at Port Blair, Bylalu near Bangalore and Brunei have been put on alert, while sea-borne terminals on-board Shipping Corporation of India’s vessels, SCI Nalanda and SCI Yamuna, have taken position at South Pacific Ocean.<br /><br />The sea-borne terminals on-board the SCI ships are supposed to capture the crucial moment of the vehicle injecting the satellite on the Earth’s orbit somewhere above South America. The rocket is expected to take over 40 minutes to inject the satellite on the Earth’s orbit after take-off.<br /><br /><br /><br />* With only the United States, Russian and the European space agencies having successfully sent robots to Mars before, Isro hopes to be the fourth space agency to accomplish the task<br /><br />* The launch will take place at 2:38 pm today from Satish Dhawan Space<br />Centre in Sriharikota<br /><br />* “All parameters of the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) C-25, which<br />carries the Mars Orbiter, are progressing well,” says a senior scientist<br /><br />* The Met office has predicted heavy rain for the Tamil Nadu coast, but officials say it won't affect the launch, even if the vehicle gets drenched<br /><br />* Vehicle tracking stations at Port Blair, Bylalu near Bangalore and Brunei have been put on alert<br /><br />* Sea-borne terminals on-board Shipping Corporation of India’s vessels SCI Nalanda and SCI Yamuna have taken position at South Pacific Ocean. They are expected to capture the crucial moment of the vehicle injecting the satellite into the Earth’s orbit somewhere above South America<br /><br />* The injection process will be 40 minutes in duration n After circling earth for 20-25 days, the spacecraft to leave for Mars on December 1<br /><br />* It is expected to reach the orbit of Mars by September 2014<br /><br />* The mission will demonstrate deep space navigation and communications, interplanetary travel and spacecraft autonomy</p>
<p> India is just one step away from creating history, with Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro) officials on Monday giving final touches to a rocket at Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC) in Sriharikota for launching an inter-planetary satellite to Mars on Tuesday.<br /><br /></p>.<p>“After the countdown, all parameters of the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV-C-25), which carries the Mars Orbiter, are progressing well. Mandatory checks and preparations for propellant filling operations of second stage are in progress,” a senior scientist from Isro told Deccan Herald.<br /><br />He said ahead of the launch, officials carried out a rehearsal successfully at the first launch pad of SDSC.<br /><br />The unmanned spacecraft would be launched from SDSC in Sriharikota, about 90 km from here, at 2:38 pm on Tuesday.<br /><br />With the Met office here predicting heavy downpour, especially in the coastal Tamil Nadu during the next 48 hours, space officials said the mission would not be affected by rain. “Rain does not matter. The launch vehicle is water-proof. Even if the vehicle gets drenched, we can launch it,” the official said.<br /><br />Vehicle tracking stations at Port Blair, Bylalu near Bangalore and Brunei have been put on alert, while sea-borne terminals on-board Shipping Corporation of India’s vessels, SCI Nalanda and SCI Yamuna, have taken position at South Pacific Ocean.<br /><br />The sea-borne terminals on-board the SCI ships are supposed to capture the crucial moment of the vehicle injecting the satellite on the Earth’s orbit somewhere above South America. The rocket is expected to take over 40 minutes to inject the satellite on the Earth’s orbit after take-off.<br /><br /><br /><br />* With only the United States, Russian and the European space agencies having successfully sent robots to Mars before, Isro hopes to be the fourth space agency to accomplish the task<br /><br />* The launch will take place at 2:38 pm today from Satish Dhawan Space<br />Centre in Sriharikota<br /><br />* “All parameters of the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) C-25, which<br />carries the Mars Orbiter, are progressing well,” says a senior scientist<br /><br />* The Met office has predicted heavy rain for the Tamil Nadu coast, but officials say it won't affect the launch, even if the vehicle gets drenched<br /><br />* Vehicle tracking stations at Port Blair, Bylalu near Bangalore and Brunei have been put on alert<br /><br />* Sea-borne terminals on-board Shipping Corporation of India’s vessels SCI Nalanda and SCI Yamuna have taken position at South Pacific Ocean. They are expected to capture the crucial moment of the vehicle injecting the satellite into the Earth’s orbit somewhere above South America<br /><br />* The injection process will be 40 minutes in duration n After circling earth for 20-25 days, the spacecraft to leave for Mars on December 1<br /><br />* It is expected to reach the orbit of Mars by September 2014<br /><br />* The mission will demonstrate deep space navigation and communications, interplanetary travel and spacecraft autonomy</p>
