“As ISRO’s 100th space mission today’s launch is a milestone in our nation’s space capabilities,” the prime minister said after the launch.

Exactly at 9.53 am, Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle-C21 (PSLV-C21), 44 metres tall and weighing around 230 tonne, with a one-way ticket, hurtled itself towards the skies ferrying the two satellites — SPOT 6, a 712-kg French earth observation satellite, and Proiteres, a 15-kg Japanese micro satellite.