Sriharikota (Andhra Pradesh), July 1 (IANS) An Indian rocket carrying the country’s first navigation satellite Monday blasted off from a launch pad at the Satish Dhawan Space Centre here.
Exactly at 11.41 p.m., the rocket – Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle-C22 standing around 44 metres tall and weighing around 320 tonnes, roared off, turning the dark skies bright orange.
Scientists at Indian Space Research Organisation’s (ISRO) rocket mission control room are intently watching the rocket’s progress towards the sky escaping the earth’s gravitational pull with one way ticket.
ISRO officials are hoping that the agency’s crucial space mission will turn out to be a grand success.
The PSLV-C22 rocket is expected to spit out its only luggage – the 1,425 kg IRNSS (Indian Regional Navigational Satellite System)-1A.
The entire flight sequence – lift-off to the satellite ejection – will take around 20 minutes.
India began its space journey in 1975 with the launch of Aryabhatta using a Russian rocket and till date, it has completed over 100 space missions.
