India announces plans for a mars mission in 2013

India plans to send a space mission to Mars next year in a giant leap forward for science and technology in the country, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said Wednesday. Singh said the unmanned spacecraft will enter orbit around the planet and collect scientific information, according to a report of the Associated Press. He announced the mission during a speech marking the 65th anniversary of India's independence from British rule. "This spaceship to Mars will be a huge step for us in the area of science and technology," he said. The 4.5 billion rupee ($82 million) mission is likely to be launched in November 2013 with a rocket developed by the Indian Space Research Organization.