PSLV scores 13 in a row
India’s trusted space workhorse, the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV), proved its mettle for the 13th time in a row today when it successfully launched India’s first unmanned mission to the moon, the Rs 386 crore Chandrayaan-1.
The towering PSLV C-11 breathed fire and left plumes of smoke as it lifted off from the second launch pad of the Satish Dhawan Space Centre here, as India set out on a journey to explore the moon, thus joining a select band of countries.
After an unsuccessful debut (PSLV-D1) in 1993, PSLV has come a long way, and there has been no looking back with the 13 various improvised versions of the launch vehicles reaping the fruits of Indian scientists’ hard toil.
In a textbook launch, PSLV C-11 took off in a perfect liftoff and separation of each stage went off as planned without any hitch.
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