India joins elite club in space race

India yesterday successfully launched its first rocket using domestically made booster technology, taking another step forward in its ambitious space programme.
The Indian-made cryogenically-powered rocket blasted off from the southern spaceport of Sriharikota as scheduled, as Delhi tries to join an elite club of countries which have mastered the complex technology. The technology has only successfully been developed by a handful of countries including the United States, Russia, France, Japan and China.
The 415-tonne rocket deployed a two-tonne advanced communications satellite 17 minutes after blast-off.
India has for years been trying to develop its own cryogenic engine for rockets that are designed to put heavier satellites into high orbits, about 36,000 kilometres from Earth.
The powerful booster technology, using super-cooled liquid fuel, is a much needed tool to help India capture a share of the lucrative global market for launching commercial satellites.