India triumphs in maiden Mars mission, sets record in space race

India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi (front 2nd L) meets with scientists as he arrives at the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) headquarters in the southern Indian city of Bangalore September 24, 2014. REUTERS/India's Press Information Bureau/Handout via Reuters

NEW DELHI (Reuters) - India's low-cost mission to Mars successfully entered the red planet's orbit on Wednesday, crowning what Prime Minister Narendra Modi said was a "near impossible" push to become the only country to complete the trip on its maiden attempt.

The Mars Orbiter Mission was achieved on a budget of $74 million (45 million pounds), nearly a tenth of the amount the U.S. space agency NASA spent on sending the Maven spacecraft to Mars.