India is making final preparations to send a spacecraft to Mars tomorrow.

The aim is to test India’s space technology to see if it has the technological ability to explore the solar system.

If successful, India will become only the fourth country or group to reach the red planet after Russia, U.S. and Europe.

More than half the world’s attempts to reach Mars – 23 out of 40 missions – have failed, including missions by Japan in 1999 and China in 2011.

Mangalyaan, which means ‘Mars craft’ is scheduled to blast off from the Indian space center on the southeastern island of Shriharikota – the start of a 300-day, 780 million-kilometer (485 million-mile) journey to orbit Mars and survey its geology and atmosphere.

The 1,350-kilogram orbiter is expected to reach its designated orbit September 24 2014.

Mangalyaan is expected to have at least six months to investigate the planet’s landscape and atmosphere.