Satellite's return breaks ground for India
India joined the world's advanced international space community Monday by successfully bringing an orbiting satellite back to Earth.
The Press Trust of India reported that when the 1,210-pound space capsule splashed into the Bay of Bengal, its return marked the first time the nation has managed to safely return a satellite from orbit.
A combined force of the Indian Coast Guard and Navy managed to successfully retrieve the satellite, named the Space Capsule Recovery Experiment, and return it to shore.
Officials at the Indian Space Research Organization were thrilled with Monday's events and said the satellite's recovery marked a strong step towards the nation eventually putting a man into space.
"This is the first time that ISRO has recovered a satellite put in orbit," an official said.
Copyright 2007 by United Press International
