It shows the sophistication of India's space program," says Rajeswari Pillai Rajagopalan, head of the Nuclear and Space Policy Initiative at the Observer Research Foundation. "Recognition of the multifaceted benefits from space exploration and space technology dates back to the Apollo program. Anything that gets you into the records book -- like breaking the Russian satellite launch record -- falls into a similar category," says Johnson-Freese. Read more at: http://t.co/Ml4fAlJ5Bz pic.twitter.com/lvraT2xvHs — ISRO's Mars Orbiter (@MarsOrbiter) May 22, 2015The Mars mission was not just a "sound and light show," says Rajagopalan. Indian residents photograph the launch of the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV-C35), carrying equipment which will be used to monitor oceans and weather at Sriharikota in the state of Andhra Pradesh on September 26, 2016.

Source: CNN February 14, 2017 01:07 UTC