By P. Jayaram, India Correspondent

NEW DELHI: India will join Japan and China in Asia's space race when it launches its first unmanned lunar mission today.

The lunar orbiting spacecraft Chandrayan-1 will blast off aboard an Indian-built rocket at dawn from Sriharikota, on the south-eastern coast, 80km from Chennai.

Shaped like a rectangular prism, the 1,400kg spacecraft, whose name means 'moon vehicle', is on a two-year orbital mission. It will carry 11 payloads, including those from other countries.

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