India's real-life mission to Mars to cost less than the making of 'Gravity'

India's Mangalayan space probe is set to enter a Martian orbit in the coming hours - and if successful, it will have done so on less of a budget than last year's hit film Gravity.

The probe will not only be the cheapest to ever reach Mars, but India is also set to be the first nation to reach the red planet on its first attempt, the Wall Street Journal has reported.

The Mars mission has cost India about $83 million, whereas Gravity, a film about an American astronaut played by Sandra Bullock, cost $113 million to make.

India's probe price tag is also miniscule compared to the $758 million NASA has spent on its latest Mars program.

If the probe is successful in its mission, India hopes to establish itself as a producer of low-cost orbital satellites and spacecraft.

The country's government was able to keep costs low by reusing old technology and keeping the probe smaller than its international counterparts.