After a successful moon mission, the Union Cabinet gave the go-ahead to the launch of satellite next year to the Mars. The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is expected to launch a Mars Orbiter as early as November next year with a 25kg scientific payload.

The Cabinet, at a meeting chaired by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Friday night in New Delhi, cleared the proposal of Department of Space to put a satellite in an orbit around Mars to study the Red Planet. The Rs 450-crore mission is expected to be launched from India's spaceport in Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh and will take nearly 300 days to reach the Martian orbit.

India will be the sixth country to launch a mission to Mars after the US, Russia, Europe, Japan and China.