BBC - Wednesday, 18 April, 2001, 11:18 GMT 12:18 UK

Indian rocket blasts off

India is hoping to match other rockets like Ariane India has successfully launched a new rocket which is carrying an experimental satellite into orbit.

Scientists cheered as the Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle, India's most powerful rocket, (GSLV) blasted off on schedule at 1543 local time (1013GMT) from the Sriharikota base, in the southern state of Andhra Pradesh.

Millions of television viewers saw a first attempt last month fail as flames licked one side of the rocket because of a faulty booster engine.

The success of the launch is an important step towards India joining the big league of space powers.

If the rest of the operation proves successful, India could start making a considerable income from commercial satellite launches.

This market is currently shared by the US, Russia, China and the EU with its European Space Agency.

India's GSLV is carrying a 1.5 tonne experimental satellite which it aims to place into geosynchronous orbit - which means it should go round the Earth at the same rate as the planet turns, so the satellite is always over the same point on the Earth's surface.

To do so the satellite needs to reach a very high orbit of 36,000km from the Earth.

The GSLV project, the most technologically demanding undertaken by India's space agency, has cost more than $300m so far and taken 10 years to build.

But the BBC's Mike Wooldridge in Delhi says the potential benefits are considerable, both from not having to depend on the European Space Agency and the income from potential clients.

-- Anonymous, April 18, 2001