With this, India joined the "Cyro Club", a select group of space faring nations having the crucial cryogenic engine technology, which is necessary to carry heavy satellites. Countries which have such capability are the US, RUSSIA, FRANCE, JAPAN and CHINA.
The mission, which cost around Rs 360 crore, is a major milestone for the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) after 'toiling' for 20 years and ended the jinx plaguing the GSLV programme which suffered twin back-to-back of the GSLV flights in 2010 -- the first, with an indigenous cryogenic engine, on April 15 and the next -- with a Russian cryogenic engine, on December 25.
The launch of the last GSLV was called off at the eleventh hour due to a fuel leak in its second stage -- in a setback to the mission to test its homegrown cryogenic engine -- after its failure three years ago.
"This is another major achievement for the GSLV programme and I would say this is an important day for science and technology, for space technology in the country (as) 20 years of efforts in realising the cryogenic engine and stage has now fructified," a visibly relieved ISRO chief K. Radhakrishnan said.
Radhakrishnan said ISRO's 'toiling of 20 years, excruciating efforts of last three and half years' after its first test flight of the cryogenic engine and all the efforts by Team ISRO in the last few years in understanding Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle and making it a liable vehicle showed the scientists' maturity.
He said his scientists had put their heart and soul to ensure this proud moment and that 'we feel we have repaid all our debt to our country'.
Congratulating the scientists, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said the launch marked 'another important step that the country has taken in the area of science and technology'.
GSLV D5's scheduled launch on August 19 last year was called off in the eleventh hour after a fuel leak, following which ISRO moved the vehicle back to the Vehicle Assembly Building and rectified the defect.
The events prompted one of the senior scientists, Shivan, to quip that the 'naughty boy GSLV' had matured into an 'obedient one'.
Chronology of GSLV launches:
GSLV-D1 GSAT-1 April 18, 2001 Successful
GSLV-D2 GSAT-2 May 8, 2003 Successful
GSLV-F01 EDUSAT(GSAT-3) Sept 20, 2004 Successful
GSLV-F02 INSAT-4C July 10, 2006 Unsuccessful
GSLV-F04 INSAT-4CR September 2, 2007 Successful
GSLV-D3 GSAT-4 April 15, 2010 Unsuccessful
GSLV-F06 GSAT-5P December 25, 2010 Unsuccessful
GSLV D5 GSAT-14 January 5, 2014 Successful
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