India has successfully launched its largest rocket and an unmanned capsule which could send astronauts into space.
The 630-tonne Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (MK III) blasted off from Sriharikota in the southern state of Andhra Pradesh on Thursday morning.
The new rocket will be able to carry heavier satellites into space.
India has successfully launched lighter satellites in recent years, but has faced problems sending up heavier payloads.
K Radhakrishnan, chairman of the Indian Space and Research Organization (Isro), told reporters that the test flight mission had been a success.
“It is a very significant day in India’s space history.”
The new rocket is capable of carrying communication satellites weighing 4,000kg, reports say, meaning India will not have to reply on foreign launchers to do so.
The main passenger in the rocket was an Indian-made capsule capable of carrying two to three astronauts into space.
Isro said the human crew capsule has “safely splashed down into Bay of Bengal off Andaman and Nicobar Islands” and that the experiment was successful.
Correspondents say this is the beginning of what could be India’s foray into the human space flight programme.
Isro has sought funding from the government to send its astronauts into space and become the fourth country in the world to do so.
India is emerging as a major player in the multi-billion dollar space market and has undertaken several missions.
In September, it successfully put a satellite into orbit around Mars, becoming the fourth nation or geo-bloc to do so.
BBC
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