India launched its first privately developed rocket, the Vikram-S, on Friday, a milestone in the country's effort to create a commercial space industry.
The 545-kg rocket developed by space startup Skyroot took off from the Indian space agency's launch site near Chennai.
The rocket has the capability of reaching Mach 5 - five times the speed of sound - and carrying a payload of 83 kg to 100 km.
Video footage showed the rocket taking off from the space centre, leaving a plume of smoke and fire in its trail.
Hyderabad-based Skyroot, founded in 2018 and backed by Singapore sovereign wealth fund GIC, was the first space startup to sign an agreement to use Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) launch and test facilities after the government opened the door to private companies in 2020.
It has raised $5.26 billion rupees ($64.42 million) so far and employs about 200 people. Close to 100 people have been involved in its maiden launch project, the company said.
The rocket is expected to reach an altitude of about 81 km before splashing down in about five minutes.
A US military-built pier off Gaza's coast is being temporarily removed after a part of the structure broke off, the Pentagon said, in the latest blow to efforts to deliver humanitarian aid to Palestinians.
South Korea has accused North Korea of sending a large number of balloons across the heavily fortified border between the countries to drop objects that included trash and excrement, calling the act base and dangerous.
The Biden administration said on Tuesday it was closely monitoring the probe into a deadly Israeli airstrike it called "tragic", but that the recent deaths in Rafah didn't constitute a major ground operation there that crosses any US red lines.
Israel pounded Rafah with airstrikes and tank fire on Tuesday, pressing its offensive in Gaza's southern city despite international condemnation of an attack that sparked a blaze in a tent camp for the displaced, killing at least 45 people.
Around one million people have fled the Gazan city of Rafah in the past three weeks, the United Nations Palestinian refugee agency (UNRWA) said on Tuesday.
Torrential rains brought by cyclone Remal caused a collapse in a stone quarry in India's state of Mizoram, killing 15 people and trapping seven, while eight more have died in landslides and other accidents elsewhere in the remote region.
North Korea said its attempt to launch a new military reconnaissance satellite ended in failure on Monday when a newly developed rocket engine exploded in flight.
More than 2,000 people could be buried alive by a massive landslide in Papua New Guinea last week, the government said on Monday, as treacherous terrain and the difficulty of getting aid to the site raises the risk few survivors will be found.
Welcome to Pinoy Bulletin, your go-to source for staying informed about important announcements, exciting group activities, community events, and job opportunities!
Welcome to Pinoy Bulletin, your go-to source for staying informed about important announcements, exciting group activities, community events, and job opportunities!
Welcome to Pinoy Bulletin, your go-to source for staying informed about important announcements, exciting group activities, community events, and job opportunities!