The Indian Space Research Organization successfully launched its new rocket, the Small Satellite Launch Vehicle (SSLV-D2), and put three satellites into orbit on Friday. The 34-meter tall SSLV-D2 weighing 120 tons took off from the Satish Dhawan Space Center in Sriharikota, off the Bay of Bengal coast located in the southern Indian state of Andhra Pradesh at about 9:18 a.m. local time. (Xinhua)

It placed the three satellites into a 450 km circular orbit around the earth during its 15-minute flight. The first test flight of the rocket on Aug. 7 last year ended in partial failure as it failed to inject its satellite payload into the intended orbits. ISRO / @isro / Indian Space Research Organisation

ISRO / @isro / Indian Space Research Organisation

The scientific core of the NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar (NISAR) mission is photographed at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California on Feb 3, 2023. The Indian Space Research Organization successfully launched its new rocket, the Small Satellite Launch Vehicle (SSLV-D2), and put three satellites into orbit at 9:18 am local time on Feb 10, 2023. (PHOTO / AP)