The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) made history as it launched its 100th indigenous mission from Sriharikota on Sunday.
The space agency's old warhorse, the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV), successfully blasted off into space at 9:53 am with two foreign satellites from the spaceport of Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh.
The launch, initially scheduled for 9:51 am was delayed by two minutes as scientists waited for space debris to clear out.
In its 22nd launch, the 230-tonne rocket onboard the PSLV, which is as tall as a 15-storey building, was its third fully-commercial launch. The PSLV has an enviable record with just one failure.
As part of the mission, 720-kg SPOT-6 remote sensing satellite from France (built by ASTRIUM SAS) and a 15-kg Japanese spacecraft PROITERES would be placed in orbit by ISRO's PSLV C-21.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, who was present at the Satish Dhawan Space Centre to witness the landmark event, congratulated the agency for the successful launch.
