INDIA’S ‘FAT BOY’ DOES IT

Success of GSLVMk III launch could mean manned flights in the future

Isro's heaviest rocket, GSLV MkIII, takes off from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota on Monday. Bearing communication satellite GSAT19, the 640tonne carrier is also referred to as ‘fat boy’ by scientists.

NEW DELHI: India successfully launched its heaviest-ever rocket GSLV-Mk III on Monday which it hopes will eventually be able to carry astronauts into space, a feat that only Russia, the United States and China have achieved, space agency Isro said.

The Indian Space Research Organisation said the 43-metre (140-foot) Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV) Mk III rocket lifted off at 5.28 pm from the space launch centre in Sriharikota and placed a communication satellite into orbit.

Scientists hugged each other and cheered as the 640-tonne rocket lifted off. The space agency’s director, AS Kiran Kumar, said it is the heaviest rocket and satellite to be launched from India. The rocket is powered by an indigenous engine that uses liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen as fuel.

Indian space scientists worked “relentlessly for decades and for this project since 2002 to successfully put the satellite into orbit”, Kumar said. “This is a historic day for Isro.” In the past, India has used French rockets to launch its heavier satellites.

India hopes the launch of the satellite, which weighs 3,136 kilograms (6,914 pounds), will expand its commercial launch business.

The rocket boasts a powerful engine that has been developed in India. Programme managers hope to reduce reliance on European engines. The GSLV Mk III rocket carried a satellite weighing more than three tonnes into a high orbit above Earth, a landmark achievement as India had struggled to match the heavier payloads of other space giants. The GSAT-19 launch is the latest in a string of successes for the Indian space agency.

‘OBEDIENT, FAT BOY’

Jubilant Isro scientists went ga-ga over the success of India’s heaviest rocket, GSLV MKIII-D1, giving it names such as ‘Fat Boy’, ‘Bahubali’ and ‘Obedient Boy’. The rocket came in for wholesome praise after its success in launching the country’s heaviest satellite till date -- GSAT-19 on its first developmental flight. “Proud to say Isro has given birth to a Bahubali,” said Tapan Misra, director of Space Applications Centre (SAC), Isro, as chuckles broke out at the mission control centre here. P V Venkita Krishnan, director of Isro propulsion complex, described the launch vehicle as a “game-changer” and said: “It has been written that this rocket is monstrous. But it really is a giant vehicle, in terms of capacity and payload capability.” Another senior scientist called the launch vehicle “smart and most obedient boy”.

The mission takes India closer to the next generation launch vehicle and satellite capability. Nation is proud NARENDRA MODI, Prime Minister This is the heaviest rocket ever made by India and is capable of carrying the heaviest satellites made till date PRANAB MUKHERJEE, President