New Delhi, Aug 31 :Indian Space research Organisation (ISRO) chairman G. Madavan Nair said on Monday that India would launch a mission to Mars by 2013.

The ISRO has begun the preparations for sending a spacecraft to Mars.

Earlier on Aug 13 the Union Government sanctioned seed money of Rs 10 crore for Mars project, to carry out various studies on experiments to be conducted, route of the mission and other related details necessary to scale the new frontier.

On Sunday ISRO called off the maiden Lunar mission after Indian Deep Space Network at Byalalu near Bangalore lost control over the Chndrayaan -I spacecraft.

Though Chandrayaan- I was slated to be a two-year mission, Nair claimed that ISRO scientists have achieved nearly 95% of Chandrayaan''''''''s scientific goals in less than a year. (ANI)