The rocket which carried Chandrayaan-1 into space lifted off several weeks ago on 22 October.
Credit: ISRO
As well as looking to carve out a larger slice of the lucrative commercial satellite launch market, India, Japan and China also see their space programs as an important symbol of their international stature and economic development.
Some critics, however, have questioned the sense in spending so much money on space when hundreds of millions of Indians still live in dire poverty.
Spy satellite
India started its space programme in 1963, developing its own satellites and launch vehicles to reduce dependence on overseas agencies. It first staked its case for a share of the commercial launch market by sending an Italian satellite into orbit in April last year.
In January, it launched an Israeli spy satellite in the face of Iranian protests.
But it still has a long way to go to catch up with China which, together with the United States, Russia and the European Space Agency, is already well established in the commercial launch sector.
