ISRO braces to tame monster rocket that could launch Indians into space

New Delhi : An indigenous rocket as heavy as 200 full-grown Asian elephants could well be the one taking “Indians into space from the Indian soil” as the country inches closer to joining the big boy’s space club.Standing tall on the rocket port at Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh is the country’s latest rocket called the Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle Mark-III (GSLV Mk-III), the heaviest rocket ever made by India that is capable of carrying the heaviest satellites till now.
The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) enters into a bold new world muscling its way to make its mark in the world’s heavy weight multi-billion dollar launch market.
“We are pushing ourselves to the limits to ensure that this new fully self-reliant Indian rocket succeeds in its maiden launch,” ISRO Chairman A S Kiran Kumar said.It is the maiden experimental launch of GSLV Mk-III earlier named Launch Vehicle Mark-3, but if all goes on well in a decade or after a slew of at least half a dozen successful launches, this rocket could be India’s vehicle of choice to launch “Indians into space, from Indian soil using Indian rockets”.This heavy lift rocket is capable of placing up to 8 tons in a low Earth orbit, enough to carry India’s crew module.