Indian rocket takes off for country’s first space-docking mission

An Indian-made rocket has lifted off from a site north of Chennai carrying two satellites that will test space-docking.

Docking is important to support a manned trip to the Moon or a space station.

Declaring the launch a “successful achievement”, Indian Space Research Organization chief Shridhar Somnath said the rocket had “placed the satellites in the correct orbit”.

India hopes to become the fourth country to have such technology after Russia, the United States and China.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has previously announced plans to send a man to the Moon by 2040.