CHANDRAYAAN LAUNCHES SUCCESSFULLY

It was truly a historic moment for the entire country. The PSLV-C11, which carries India's first unmanned moon spacecraft Chandrayaan-1, was successfully put into initial orbit from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre on Wednesday morning at around 6.40 am.
At the end of the 49-hour countdown, the 44.4 meter tall four-stage PSLV-C11 blasted off from the second launch pad with the ignition of the core first stage at 6.22 am.
Large crowds had gathered at Shriharikota since early Wednesday morning to witness this historic event. The crowds cheered at the PSLV, which weighs 316 tonnes soared majestically into the skies. However, the thick black clouds played spoil sport for those waiting to watch the PSLV launch into the skies.People who stood on the terrace of the Brahm Prakash auditorium to witness the launch managed to catch a glimpse of the vehicle only for a brief moment before it disappeared into the clouds.However, the mood in the Satish Dhawan Space Centre where the entire Indian Space Research Organisation team behind the mission was seated was upbeat. They were emotional on seeing that the launch was a success.ISRO Chairman Madhavan Nair got up from his chair, clapping his hands, and congratulated other scientists who had ensured that the mission's success. This is the 14th flight of ISRO's workhorse PSLV, which has launched 29 satellites into a variety of orbits since 1993.The launch vehicle uses larger strap-on motors to achieve higher payload capability.