This is a "global endorsement of India's space capability", said Prime Minister Narendra Modi after the successful launch of an Indian rocket that carried five foreign satellites.
Modi said: "Congratulations to everybody."
"I feel specially privileged to witness this event in person," said Modi who clapped as the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle-C23 (PSLV-C23) - standing around 44.4 metres tall and weighing around 230 ton - tore into the bright morning skies with orange flames fiercely burning at its tail.
The rocket's main luggage is the 714kg French earth observation satellite SPOT-7.
Piggybacking on the main luggage are the four small satellites viz: 14-kg AISAT of Germany; NLS7.1 (CAN-X4) and NLS7.2 (CAN-X5) from Canada each weighing 15 kg; and the 7-kg VELOX-1 of Singapore.
He described it as "global endorsement of India's space capability".