Landmark in space programme: President lauds satellite launch

India will immensely benefit from the applications of the country's second navigation satellite that was successfully placed into orbit Friday, said President Pranab Mukherjee.

In a message to ISRO chairman K. Radhakrishnan, President Mukherjee said: "My heartiest congratulations to you and your entire team at ISRO for the successful launch of PSLV-C24, carrying the Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System (IRNSS)-1B."

"The launch marks an important landmark in our space programme and demonstrates, yet again, India's capabilities in space launch technology. The nation will immensely benefit from the applications of IRNSS which include terrestrial, aerial and marine navigation, disaster management, vehicle tracking and fleet management etc."

The Indian rocket carrying the satellite blasted off at 5.14 p.m. from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh, around 80 km north of Chennai.