The Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV) Mk III, or "Fat Boy", lifted off from the Sriharikota space centre in southern India at 5.28pm in clear blue skies. At 3,136kg, or more than three tonnes and the height of a 13-storey building, the GSAT-19 satellite is the heaviest India has tried to put in orbit, the space agency said. The United States, Russia, China, Japan and European Space Agency have the capability to launch satellites weighing more than three tonnes. The Indian space agency has also considered a manned space mission involving sending astronauts into a low-Earth orbit, but the programme has not yet been cleared by the government. "GSLV Mk III has put GSAT 19, which is a next generation satellite, into orbit," Indian Space Research Organisation chief AS Kiran Kumar said.

Source: bd News24 June 05, 2017 15:00 UTC