A communications satellite jointly built by India's space agency and Europe's EADS aerospace group was launched successfully from French Guiana on Saturday, officials said. DPA reported
The satellite separated from the rocket at its intended transfer orbit 35 minutes after launch, the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) said.
The 2,541-kilogram satellite developed for Avanti Communications of Britain will deliver high-speed broadband services for Europe. Its life is estimated to be about 15 years.
The alliance between ISRO's commercial arm, Antrix Corporation and Astrium, an EADS unit, won the contract in 2006 after competing with leading US and European manufacturers.
Antrix is also responsible for the post-launch operations of the satellite, being conducted from a control facility in India's southern state of Karnataka.
After launching its first satellite, Aryabhatta, in 1975, India has concentrated much of its space development on sophisticated satellites in the recent years.