India's Mars mission a great achievement: Chinese experts

Ye also said China and India may work together to explore space instead of being engaged in what was called “aerospace competition”.

In his reaction yesterday, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei said thee outer space is “the common heritage of mankind” and the international community should cooperate to maintain the permanent peace and sustainable development of outer space.

Pang Zhihao, a researcher with the China Academy of Space Technology, said ultimate outcome of the current Indian venture remains to be seen, as the successful launch was only the start of a year-long mission.