The cost of mission to Mars by ISRO was cheaper than making the Hollywood film Gravity , Modi said in a lighter vein after witnessing the PSLV-C23 launch here.
The budget of the movie was estimated to be around $100 million, while Mars mission in last November was around Rs 450 crore.
"Our space programme stands as the most cost-effective in the world. Our scientists have shown the world a new paradigm on frugal engineering and the power of imagination. This is a big achievement for our scientists," he said.
Gravity was 2013 British-American 3D epic science fiction thriller film. Directed by Alfonso Cuaron, the movie stars Sandra Bullock and George Clooney as astronauts involved in the mid-orbit destruction of a space shuttle and their attempt to return to Earth.