A few hours before the departure of India's first historic interplanetary mission.
After a short delay due to small component problems, the trip to Mars of the vehicle developed by ISRO (Indian Space Research Organisation) will be a reality.
It's just the beginning, they say in New Delhi: with the typical enthusiasm of a nation growing at supersonic speed, ISRO has already declared its intention to send a human mission by 2016, and this would only be the beginning of a long series of stages necessary for preparation. The Indians hope that the mission will be an even more sensational success than the 'lunar' mission of 2008, when Chandrayaan-1 landed and discovered traces of water on our satellite.
NASA, usually superstitious about 'its' missions, sent a very sweet 'good luck'. Noses up, friends: it's the future.
