from channelnewsasia.com: India on Sunday successfully launched its first rocket using
domestically produced booster technology after several previous missions
had failed, taking another step forward in its ambitious space
programme.

The Indian-made cryogenically-powered rocket blasted
off from the southern spaceport of Sriharikota as scheduled, as Delhi
tries to join an elite club of countries which have mastered the complex
technology.

The 415-tonne rocket deployed a two-tonne advanced
communications satellite some 17 minutes after blast-off, said Indian
Space Research Organisation (ISRO) chairman Dr K. Radhakrishnan.