India’s Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB) has allowed Singapore Airlines (SIA) to establish a full-service airline in the country in partnership with the Tata Group, but the joint venture airline will need several other regulatory approvals before it can start operations. “The Tata-SIA proposal has been cleared,” said Economic Affairs Secretary Arvind Mayaram after a meeting of the FIPB, a panel of bureaucrats who examine various aspects of foreign investments. The government has not set any preconditions for the joint venture, Mayaram added.

NEW DELHI — The Indian air force (IAF) completed the flight of its first upgraded Mirage 2000 at the Istres-Le Tubé air base in France early this month, according to a spokesman of manufacturer Dassault Aviation. Faced with a depleted tactical air capability and an inordinate delay in signing the Medium Multi-Role Combat Aircraft (MMRCA) deal, the IAF is pushing to expedite the upgrading of its Mirage 2000s. The first upgraded Dassault Mirage 2000H is likely to be delivered in August or September 2014, says an IAF official.

NEW DELHI — The launch of India’s first Mars orbiter, which was postponed due to inclement weather in the Pacific, has been rescheduled for Nov. 5. The Mars Orbiter Mission (MOM) will be boosted by a Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV), which was also used for the Chandrayaan-1 Moon mission, on Nov. 5 at 2:36 p.m. local time from the Sriharikota spaceport in south India, Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) Chairman K. Radhakrishnan says.