* Astronomy

The launch campaign for India's Rs 450-crore Mars Orbiter Mission (MOM), slated for lift off between October and November, kicked off on Monday as Isro engineers began assembling the four-stage Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) at Sriharikota.

The 44.4-metre tall brown-and-white PSLV is the advanced version of the rocket called PSLV-XL. The MOM flight is designated C-25, which will mark the silver jubilee of the highly-successful PSLV. Interestingly, the start of the campaign nearly coincides with the first anniversary of the nail-biting touchdown of Nasa's one-tonne, SUV-sized rover Curiosity on the Red Planet at 11am (IST) on August 6, 2012.