India launches key test ahead of sending humans into space

Overcoming a delay of nearly a couple of hours and an anomaly, India's space agency today successfully flight tested a test vehicle carrying payloads related to the country's ambitious human space flight mission Gaganyaan.

Following the delay and nerve-wracking moments after the engine of TV-D1 failed to ignite initially, Indian Space Research Organization scientists put the mission on course by launching the rocket with precision from space port in Sriharikota, nearly 120km from Chennai, and achieved the goal of Crew Module and Crew Escape separation that was welcomed with loud cheers at the Mission Control Center in Bengaluru, reports our New Delhi correspondent.

"TV D1 Mission was fully achieved," ISRO announced. The payloads later splashed into the Bay of Bengal as planned.

India's Gaganyaan progroject aims to send humans into space on a low earth orbit of 400 km for three days and bring them safely back to the Earth.

Initially slated for 8:00am, today's flight test launch was delayed twice, totaling 45 minutes, before an anomaly forced a rescheduling for 10:00am.