India's Mars Mission ( Photo 2 of 5 )

Similarities between the two missions end with the fact that both are orbiters and use similar launch vehicles. The upgraded version of the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle-XL will be used for the launch next month. PSLV has emerged as ISRO’s workhorse with a history of successful launches in the past two decades.

The major test for MOM, therefore, begins after the launch. Sending a man-made object to orbit around the red planet, which is located some 400 million kilometers away from the earth, is fraught with unknown dangers and is a major technological challenge.