India has sent its first unmanned space mission to the moon, becoming the third Asian country to have put a satellite into orbit. Chandrayaan-1, which means ‘moon craft’, blasted off from the southern city of Sriharikota

The main aim of the mission, which is supposed to last two years, is to explore the moon's south pole, which has not been done before. Chandrayaan-1 will orbit the moon at a distance of 100 km from the planet's surface. It will map a three-dimensional atlas and conduct a mineralogical mapping.

Apart from its scientific value to the country, the mission is meant to send a message to the world that India has the will and expertise to explore space. The mission is positioning itself as part of a future global space programme and is looking to put an Indian on the moon.

“There are going to be collaborations, and this particular mission is going to improve our credibility and announce to the world that we have arrived,” Indian astronaught Rakesh Sharma said.

In 1984 Sharma created history by descending back to Earth in a Soviet-made module. Today, just hours before the blast-off of the first moon mission, the excitement in India is also running high.