Vijay Mallya, chairman and founder of grounded Kingfisher Airlines, is ready to inject about 4.25 billion rupees ($775,000 million) into the carrier to restart operations if and when India's aviation regulator gives the go-ahead, one of the members of the airline’s lenders committee says.

NEW DELHI — The Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) plans to undertake 10 space missions in 2013, including its first Mars orbiter. “Of these, eight missions will be launched by September 2013 and the remaining by year-end,” says V. Narayanasamy, a junior minister in the prime minister’s office, which is in charge of space administration.

As Indian carriers race to form a strategic alliance with international airlines, grounded Kingfisher Airlines may emerge as the first to benefit from foreign direct investment. Debt-ridden Kingfisher, which has been grounded since Oct. 1 following labor unrest, is currently in talks with various investors, including Abu Dhabi-based Etihad Airways, for a possible stake sale. Aerospace industry sources indicate that the Persian Gulf-area carrier is close to buying a 48% stake in the Indian airline for about 30 billion rupees ($553 million).