Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO), gave India a new reason to rejoice this New Year as it successfully launched the Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV) – D5 rocket into space. The GSLV – D5 carried a communications satellite (GSAT-14) weighing almost 2,000 Kg with utmost precision to about 36,000 km away from Earth into space. This is India’s greatest success as the engine used in the rocket is developed indigenously after several years of experimentation.

The scientists began experimentation after India used up 6 of the 8 cryogenic engines procured from Russia in the last decade. After two hiccups of unsuccessful missions, the launch on Sunday proved India’s capacity to compete and collaborate in international space programs. With this achievement, India is now the sixth country after USA, Russia, Japan, China and France, which has been be able to make its own cryogenic engines. The Indigenous cryogenic engine used liquefied hydrogen as fuel and liquid oxygen as oxidiser, a technique that gives rocket scientists sleepless nights.

With pride in my mind and delight in my heart, I heartily congratulate the team at Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Andhra Pradesh. I hope this achievement by India will inspire and motivate more and more young people to take an active interest in science. It is only through advancements in science and technology that India will progress and make its place among the superpowers. India has no dearth of scientific genius and this will become more and more evident in the years to come. Congratulations to the ISRO team for the first functional Indian cryogenic engine, as with this, the possibilities of manned space flights by Indians become a reality!

- Deep Trivedi