Exalt…. Kudos!!! India commercial rocket takes off

India's first commercial rocket has been launched into space.
The rocket, a Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV), took off from the Sriharikota base in southern India at 1530 Indian time (1000 GMT).
It is carrying a 352kg Italian satellite which will gather information about the origins of the universe, the AFP news agency reports.
India's space programme includes an unmanned mission to the Moon which is due to take place next year.

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Carrying a 352 kg Italian satellite, India's Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV), took off at 3:30 p.m. local time on Monday from Sriharikota base. The rocket was India's first commercial launch, an effort which New Delhi says will help propel the nation into the commercial

space industry.

India's space program commenced in 1963 with a successful a domestic satellite launched in 1980. Since 1994, its PSLV rocket has completed nine successful launches.

In a report by the Kaleej Times, India hopes to join such major space exploration nations as Russia, United States, China, the European Space Agency, and Ukraine and to one day be considered a "serious player."

K. R. Sridhara Murthi, the executive director of Antrix, the marketing arm of Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), says, "Success is very important in a mission like this because that's what customers look for."
Antrix's future package deals to overseas customers would include satellite design and fabrication by local engineers, to be launched by the ISRO.
ISRO spokesman, S. Krishnamurthy says, "We expect our launch capability to attract more interest" from potential customers."

BrahMos Test Fired

The Army version of supersonic cruise missile BrahMos was test-fired from the Interim-Test-Range at Chandipur-on-sea, Orissa, on Wednesday.
This is the successful 11th flight of the missile, jointly developed by India and Russia.

The missile took off from a mobile launcher and impacted the waters about 290 km away. It was in the user-configuration and met the mission requirements, sources said.

A land-to-sea test-firing was conducted on June 13, 2004 from the Interim-Test-Range.
On December 21, 2004, a land-to-land version was test-fired at the Pokhran desert range in Rajasthan. The BrahMos proved its control and guidance systems that day.

The naval version had been inducted and its production is on. A vessel is being readied for the purpose.

The Air Force version is to be developed soon following approval by both governments. The version will be integrated with the Sukhoi-30 MKI (Mark India).

The eight-metre long BrahMos is essentially an anti-ship missile.