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C-GHKR · Member Joined: 26 Dec 2006 Posts: 626 Location: yyz

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Isro_launches_Italy_satellite/articleshow/1947075.cms

SRIHARIKOTA: India blasted into a new space orbit on Monday by launching its first commercial venture and placing a 352-kg Italian satellite, AGILE, that rode atop a PSLV rocket, marking the 11th successful lift-off of the indigenous polar launch vehicles.

"It has proven the reliability of our launching system. We have 100% succeeded. We have made good entry into the launching business and hope to get more business," said Isro chairman G Madhavan Nair.

The launch put India into the billion-dollar lucrative market of satellite launches so far shared only between four others — US, Russia, Ukraine and European Space Agency. Isro has launched other foreign satellites but not for profit. Experts said many nations were looking to India to launch their satellites because the costs here are 30-35% cheaper. The PSLV-C8 also carried an Indian payload, an Advanced Avionics Module intended to test avionics systems like mission computers and navigation.

Good news for India and for me. The Chairman is an Alumni of my College and I had done my post graduate research in ISRO and I knew this was their dream, when I was there about 11 years ago.

Well done ISRO and India.

HAWK21M · Posted: Tue Apr 24, 2007 1:26 pm Post subject:

Thats one Launch I've been waiting to hear.
Congrats.
regds
MEL
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Think of the Brighter side !!!