India's Mars mission delayed by a week

Chennai: India's Mars Orbiter Mission, scheduled for launch Oct 28, 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 Oct 28-Nov 19, 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 Oct 22, the launch date is expected to be known.

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.