Modi pitches India's space prowess at rocket launch

India's Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV-C23), carrying five satellites, lifts off from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, north of the southern Indian city of Chennai on June 30, 2014. Newly elected Prime Minister Narendra Modi
India's Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV-C23), carrying five satellites, lifts off from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, north of the southern Indian city of Chennai on June 30, 2014. Newly elected Prime Minister Narendra Modi made a pitch for India to be the world's low-cost space technology supplier, minutes after witnessing the launch of a rocket carrying five satellites from France, Singapore, Germany and Canada on Monday. -- PHOTO: REUTERS

NEW DELHI (REUTERS) - Newly elected Prime Minister Narendra Modi made a pitch for India to be the world's low-cost space technology supplier, minutes after witnessing the launch of a rocket carrying five satellites from France, Singapore, Germany and Canada on Monday.

The launch of the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle bolsters India's goal of capturing more of the US$304 billion (S$380 billion) annual global space market, and Mr Modi seized the moment with an uplifting speech about India's prowess in cheap space technology.

"This fills every Indian's heart with pride and I can see it reflected in the joy and satisfaction on your faces," Mr Modi said from the launch site of India's south-eastern coast.

"Truly this is a global endorsement of India's space capability," he said, adding that India's current Mars mission cost less than the budget of the Hollywood science fiction film Gravity.

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