A rocket carrying the Mars orbiter takes off from the east-coast island of Sriharikota.
India has launched its first spacecraft bound for Mars, a complex mission which it hopes will demonstrate and advance technologies for space travel.
Hundreds watched the rocket carrying the Mars spacecraft take off from the east coast island of Shriharikota and streak across the sky.
The 3,000lb (1,350kg) Mangalyaan orbiter will first head into an elliptical orbit around Earth, after which a series of technical manoeuvres and short burns will raise its orbit before it slingshots toward Mars.
Mangalyaan, which means “Mars craft” in Hindi, must travel 485 million miles over 300 days to reach an orbit around the red planet next September.
