A ROCKET carrying an Indian communication satellite exploded just after liftoff on Saturday in the second launch failure for India’s space agency this year.

The first lunar probe from India landed successfully on the moon today, the Indian Space Research Organisation said.

Scientists have better maps of distant Mars than the moon where astronauts have walked but India hopes to change that with its first lunar mission.

India readied its first lunar mission last night, seeking to convert its new wealth into political and military clout and join an elite group of nations with the scientific know-how to reach space.