SriLanka, Sept. 9 -- INDIA'S Space programme notched a successful rocket launch last Friday, placing an Earth-observation craft into orbit as New Delhi works to sharpen its satellite-based surveillance capabilities.

The Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV) lifted off at 2:55am local time from the country's main Spaceport at Sriharikota, an island in southern India, and reached the designated orbit 18 minutes later, according to the Indian Space Research Organisation's (ISRO) launch broadcast on YouTube.

The rocket deployed the EOS-05, India's first imaging satellite designed for operations from geosynchronous orbit, where satellites move in sync with Earth's rotation and can monitor the same region continuously. The satellite ...