In the biggest Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) launch till date, Indian scientists on Friday night launched five British satellites into orbit from the Sriharikota space port.
ISRO officials said the lift-off at 9:58 pm was successful. For the launch, Britain rented premium space at Sriharikota along with hiring an entire rocket for the first time.
The 320 tonne rocket is as tall as a 15-storey building and it will hoist three disaster-monitoring satellites and two smaller experimental satellites into space.
The total satellite weight of 1440 kg makes this the heaviest commercial launch ever carried out by the Indian space agency.
Till date, India has helped 19 countries launch 40 satellites into space on a commercial basis.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday tweeted while congratulating the Indian team.
Successful launch of PSLV-C28 with 5 UK satellites is a moment of immense pride & joy for India. Congratulations to the @isro team.
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) July 11, 2015