India's Mars mission delayed, new dates to be announced soon

Chennai: India’s Mars Orbiter Mission, scheduled for launch on 28 October, has been delayed and the fresh date will be announced later, said the space agency chief. “Of the two ships Nalanda and Yamuna, only Yamanua has reached Fiji. Nalanda has not reached there. It is expected to reach Fiji only around Oct 21. So the Mars mission will not happen Oct 28. As the launch window is between 28 October-19 November, we will decide on the revised date after the ship reaches Fiji,” Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) chairman K Radhakrishnan told IANS. He said the delay will be by a week and by 22 October, the launch date is expected to be known. [caption id=“attachment_1182419” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Representational image. Reuters[/caption] The ship has terminals to track the rocket, which has a coasting period of around 20 minutes beyond the visibility of existing ground stations. Radhakrishnan said the rocket has been assembled and the satellite integration is on now. “In two days it will be over and then there will be checks on the rocket and satellite systems,” he said. IANS