India launches satellites in 100th space mission

(AP) India's national space organization has marked its 100th mission by launching French and Japanese satellites.

The Indian Space Research Organization said Sunday's launch of a French observation satellite and a Japanese microsatellite was a success.

India has had an active space program since the 1960s and has launched scores of satellites for itself and other countries.

In 2008, it successfully sent a probe to the moon that detected evidence of water on the lunar surface for the first time. The space agency plans to send a spacecraft to Mars next year.