Mangalyaan on course, says ISRO chief K Radhakrishnan

India's first inter-planetary mission to Mars "Mangalyaan" was on its course and the orbiter would reach the Martian orbit on September 24, Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) Chairman K Radhakrishnan said on Tuesday.

"The Mars Orbiter Mission (MOM) is on course and as per plan it would reach the orbit on September 24," he told reporters at the airport.

The Rs 450 crore MOM was launched from Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh on board Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) on November 5 last year with an aim to reach the red planet's atmosphere by September 24.

On November 22, ISRO had said that Mars Orbiter "Mangalyaan" has beamed back its first pictures of Earth, capturing the Indian subcontinent and parts of Africa.

According to ISRO, only 14 per cent of the journey remains in MOM's heliocentric arc towards Mars Orbit Insertion.

Also read: India's Mars Mission 'Mangalayaan' : What is in it for India?