Friday, September 30, 2011
China Takes Giant Leap, Puts Space Lab Into Orbit
BEIJING: China on Thursday successfully launched its first unmanned "space laboratory" . The Tiangong-1 , which means " Heavenly Palace" , blasted off from a site in the Gobi Desert around 6.46pm (India time).
The 10.5m-long , cylindrical module was launched two days before its National Day celebrations, making China the third country after the US and Russia to operate a permanent space station, which it expects to be operational by 2020.
Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao watched as the unmanned "space lab" and the Long March rocket that heaved it skyward from a pad at Jiuquan in northwest Gansu province, lifted off under clear skies.
The Tiangong-1 will orbit on its own for a month after which it will be joined by another spaceship, Shenzhou-8 . Both will then conduct the first space docking. The next two years will see two more spaceships.
The Tiangong-1 will help China establish a manned space test platform capable of long-term unmanned operation in space with temporary human attendance, China's Manned Space Engineering office spokeswoman Wu Ping said.
The 10.5m-long , cylindrical module was launched two days before its National Day celebrations, making China the third country after the US and Russia to operate a permanent space station, which it expects to be operational by 2020.
Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao watched as the unmanned "space lab" and the Long March rocket that heaved it skyward from a pad at Jiuquan in northwest Gansu province, lifted off under clear skies.
The Tiangong-1 will orbit on its own for a month after which it will be joined by another spaceship, Shenzhou-8 . Both will then conduct the first space docking. The next two years will see two more spaceships.
The Tiangong-1 will help China establish a manned space test platform capable of long-term unmanned operation in space with temporary human attendance, China's Manned Space Engineering office spokeswoman Wu Ping said.
Serena Williams Pulls Out Of China Open
BEIJING: World No. 2 Maria Sharapova of Russia and American Serena Williams pulled out of the China Open Friday, a day before the beginning of the WTA premier event.
Sharapova twisted her ankle while serving Thursday and quit her Pan Pacific Open quarterfinals in Tokyo against Petra Kvitova.
The 24-year-old Russian said on her website: "Good news is that the MRI showed no big damage in the ankle. Will do my best to recover in time for Istanbul (the season-ending championships)."
"It is to better recover soon because I can become quite the annoying patient! I will keep everyone posted with my progress."
Williams also missed the tournament due to injury. The American was out of tennis for almost a year with a series of injuries, but hit her form quickly after coming back, reaching her fifth US Open final earlier this month.
According to the official website of the China Open, Serena should have arrived in Beijing Friday. However, she didn't appear in the women's singles draw, meaning she would be absent for the second consecutive year.
With the season nearing its end, a bunch of players have deleted the China trip from their schedule.
World No. 1 men's player Novak Djokovic quit the event due to a negative report from his latest physical check. Others absentees include Richard Gasquet, Robin Soderling and Venus Williams.
Sharapova twisted her ankle while serving Thursday and quit her Pan Pacific Open quarterfinals in Tokyo against Petra Kvitova.
The 24-year-old Russian said on her website: "Good news is that the MRI showed no big damage in the ankle. Will do my best to recover in time for Istanbul (the season-ending championships)."
"It is to better recover soon because I can become quite the annoying patient! I will keep everyone posted with my progress."
Williams also missed the tournament due to injury. The American was out of tennis for almost a year with a series of injuries, but hit her form quickly after coming back, reaching her fifth US Open final earlier this month.
According to the official website of the China Open, Serena should have arrived in Beijing Friday. However, she didn't appear in the women's singles draw, meaning she would be absent for the second consecutive year.
With the season nearing its end, a bunch of players have deleted the China trip from their schedule.
World No. 1 men's player Novak Djokovic quit the event due to a negative report from his latest physical check. Others absentees include Richard Gasquet, Robin Soderling and Venus Williams.
India Will Be Itching For Revenge: Cook
LONDON: England outplayed India in all three formats of the game in their recent home series but one-day skipper Alastair Cook says beating MS Dhoni's men in their backyard in an ODI series next month would be a lot tougher task.
Stating that Indian team would be "itching" for revenge, Cook said, "Of course it will be difficult over there. They will have a point to prove and the conditions will obviously suit them. I doubt we will see much green grass on the wickets we play on.
"They are world champions at home and itching to get revenge. It is down to us and how we cope with conditions and how we play. The best players adapt to that. We have players who have never played in India in an England shirt.
"The learning curve will be so steep but they will handle it well," Cook told Daily Telegraph.
India suffered a humiliating 0-3 defeat in one-dayers in England in a five-match series last month with a match washed out and another ending in a tie. England also humbled India 4-0 in a Test series that resulted in the latter losing their number one ranking.
Although Cook is aware that a number of key players in the Indian team - Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag and Yuvraj Singh - have been ruled out of the first two ODIs due to injuries but he admitted that in their own backyard, India are a tough side to beat.
The tour of India is certainly going to be a litmus test for Cook, both as captain and as a player because England have not beaten India in a one-day series in India since 1985, with their last two series ending in 5-1 and 5-0 thrashings.
But Cook is drawing confidence from a good summer in one-dayers where he has averaged 58 and scored runs at a strike rate of 95.
"It could not have gone too much better for me," said Cook.
"As a batsman I always said I could play one-day cricket for England. I had to back that up with action straightaway and as a captain you want to start well as a player. It gives you that added sense of authority. It kind of ends doubts and helps your captaincy.
"It takes time for you to get used to being captain of the side and the coach and players get used to you. Really I have only done it for six weeks. It takes longer than that but people are working out how I do things and what I expect from players," he added.
Stating that Indian team would be "itching" for revenge, Cook said, "Of course it will be difficult over there. They will have a point to prove and the conditions will obviously suit them. I doubt we will see much green grass on the wickets we play on.
"They are world champions at home and itching to get revenge. It is down to us and how we cope with conditions and how we play. The best players adapt to that. We have players who have never played in India in an England shirt.
"The learning curve will be so steep but they will handle it well," Cook told Daily Telegraph.
India suffered a humiliating 0-3 defeat in one-dayers in England in a five-match series last month with a match washed out and another ending in a tie. England also humbled India 4-0 in a Test series that resulted in the latter losing their number one ranking.
Although Cook is aware that a number of key players in the Indian team - Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag and Yuvraj Singh - have been ruled out of the first two ODIs due to injuries but he admitted that in their own backyard, India are a tough side to beat.
The tour of India is certainly going to be a litmus test for Cook, both as captain and as a player because England have not beaten India in a one-day series in India since 1985, with their last two series ending in 5-1 and 5-0 thrashings.
But Cook is drawing confidence from a good summer in one-dayers where he has averaged 58 and scored runs at a strike rate of 95.
"It could not have gone too much better for me," said Cook.
"As a batsman I always said I could play one-day cricket for England. I had to back that up with action straightaway and as a captain you want to start well as a player. It gives you that added sense of authority. It kind of ends doubts and helps your captaincy.
"It takes time for you to get used to being captain of the side and the coach and players get used to you. Really I have only done it for six weeks. It takes longer than that but people are working out how I do things and what I expect from players," he added.
Rooney and Hernandez ready for Manchester United return
MANCHESTER: Manchester United strikers Wayne Rooney and Javier Hernandez have recovered from injury and are available for Saturday's Premier League game at home to Norwich City, manager Alex Ferguson said.
The pair missed Tuesday's 3-3 home draw with Basel in the Champions League as Rooney was recovering from a hamstring problem and Hernandez from a dead leg.
"Wayne and Javier Hernandez will be fit for tomorrow. They trained yesterday very well and I was pleased with that," Ferguson told a news conference on Friday.
"Jonny Evans also comes back, hopefully that will help us in the defensive part as we're certainly changing the back four at the moment."
After Rooney was injured in training before the match against Stoke City last weekend, Ferguson said the England striker could be out "for a few weeks" but he has made a quicker than expected recovery as he bids to continue his fine start to the season which has brought nine goals so far.
Although Rooney was also missing against Basel in the Champions League on Tuesday, Ferguson said a shaky defence rather than a weakness in attack was to blame as United threw away a two-goal lead to trail 3-2 before Ashley Young's last-gasp equaliser.
Ferguson said his team had been rather "cavalier" in their approach and needed to tighten up.
"People say our performance was careless and we under-estimated our opponents and maybe there's an element of truth in that," he said.
"I certainly wasn't happy, even in the first half I could sense we were too relaxed and could have lost three goals in the first half.
"We could have scored goals as well but were too cavalier. We're attacking in the way we're playing at the moment and people can enjoy it but we have to do better defensively."
Unbeaten United have scored 22 goals in six league games so far and are top of the table on goal difference from neighbours Manchester City.
The pair missed Tuesday's 3-3 home draw with Basel in the Champions League as Rooney was recovering from a hamstring problem and Hernandez from a dead leg.
"Wayne and Javier Hernandez will be fit for tomorrow. They trained yesterday very well and I was pleased with that," Ferguson told a news conference on Friday.
"Jonny Evans also comes back, hopefully that will help us in the defensive part as we're certainly changing the back four at the moment."
After Rooney was injured in training before the match against Stoke City last weekend, Ferguson said the England striker could be out "for a few weeks" but he has made a quicker than expected recovery as he bids to continue his fine start to the season which has brought nine goals so far.
Although Rooney was also missing against Basel in the Champions League on Tuesday, Ferguson said a shaky defence rather than a weakness in attack was to blame as United threw away a two-goal lead to trail 3-2 before Ashley Young's last-gasp equaliser.
Ferguson said his team had been rather "cavalier" in their approach and needed to tighten up.
"People say our performance was careless and we under-estimated our opponents and maybe there's an element of truth in that," he said.
"I certainly wasn't happy, even in the first half I could sense we were too relaxed and could have lost three goals in the first half.
"We could have scored goals as well but were too cavalier. We're attacking in the way we're playing at the moment and people can enjoy it but we have to do better defensively."
Unbeaten United have scored 22 goals in six league games so far and are top of the table on goal difference from neighbours Manchester City.
Kapil Blasts Tendulkar's 100th Ton Hype
NEW DELHI: Former India great Kapil Dev has slammed the media's obsession with Sachin Tendulkar achieving 100 international centuries, saying the focus should be on the team's performances.
During India's recent tour of England, speculation reached fever pitch about Tendulkar reaching the landmark figure.
But the star failed to fulfil his fans' hopes and was left stranded on 99 hundreds - 51 in Tests and 48 in one-day internationals.
India were blanked 4-0 in the Test series, conceding their number-one ranking to the hosts, and also lost the one-dayers 3-0.
"You seem more keen about Sachin's 99 hundreds and not about how we are going to win the next series," Kapil said while delivering the Dilip Sardesai lecture in memory of the former Test batsman in Mumbai on Thursday.
"I am not saying don't give credit to individual performances, but the country should come first.
"Everyone knows Sachin has 99 centuries, but how many know which of those have ended in victories? Out of Sachin's 99 hundreds, 60 have ended in wins. If anyone reports that I'll be happy.
"We have to change our mindset. If we lose the match, what's the use of statistics? To hell with that!"
Kapil, 52, regarded as one of the best all-rounders of his era, claimed a then-world record 434 Test wickets, besides taking 253 one-day wickets, before quitting the game in 1994.
He also scored 5,248 runs in Tests and 3,783 in one-dayers.
Kapil, who became India's first World Cup-winning captain in 1983, also blamed tight scheduling for the team's disastrous show in England.
The Indian players figured in the lucrative Twenty20 Indian Premier League (IPL) a few days after winning the World Cup in April before leaving for the West Indies and England tours.
"The players did not get time to unwind and enjoy their World Cup victory. They had worked four years for it. But they just got four days before the IPL began," Kapil said.
"They should have got more time to enjoy the moment. If you don't give time to unwind, you lose the passion to play. That's what happened in England."
Kapil also wanted players to be paid more for representing the country than their IPL franchises.
"How can you give more money to play for a club and not for playing for the country?" he said.
Kapil, who played 131 Tests and 225 one-dayers over a 16-year career, wanted the burden on seamers to be reduced in order to avoid injuries, like the ones to current spearheads Zaheer Khan, Ishant Sharma and Munaf Patel.
"The cricket board should understand how much burden the fast bowlers can take," he said. "They can't bowl for 365 days."
During India's recent tour of England, speculation reached fever pitch about Tendulkar reaching the landmark figure.
But the star failed to fulfil his fans' hopes and was left stranded on 99 hundreds - 51 in Tests and 48 in one-day internationals.
India were blanked 4-0 in the Test series, conceding their number-one ranking to the hosts, and also lost the one-dayers 3-0.
"You seem more keen about Sachin's 99 hundreds and not about how we are going to win the next series," Kapil said while delivering the Dilip Sardesai lecture in memory of the former Test batsman in Mumbai on Thursday.
"I am not saying don't give credit to individual performances, but the country should come first.
"Everyone knows Sachin has 99 centuries, but how many know which of those have ended in victories? Out of Sachin's 99 hundreds, 60 have ended in wins. If anyone reports that I'll be happy.
"We have to change our mindset. If we lose the match, what's the use of statistics? To hell with that!"
Kapil, 52, regarded as one of the best all-rounders of his era, claimed a then-world record 434 Test wickets, besides taking 253 one-day wickets, before quitting the game in 1994.
He also scored 5,248 runs in Tests and 3,783 in one-dayers.
Kapil, who became India's first World Cup-winning captain in 1983, also blamed tight scheduling for the team's disastrous show in England.
The Indian players figured in the lucrative Twenty20 Indian Premier League (IPL) a few days after winning the World Cup in April before leaving for the West Indies and England tours.
"The players did not get time to unwind and enjoy their World Cup victory. They had worked four years for it. But they just got four days before the IPL began," Kapil said.
"They should have got more time to enjoy the moment. If you don't give time to unwind, you lose the passion to play. That's what happened in England."
Kapil also wanted players to be paid more for representing the country than their IPL franchises.
"How can you give more money to play for a club and not for playing for the country?" he said.
Kapil, who played 131 Tests and 225 one-dayers over a 16-year career, wanted the burden on seamers to be reduced in order to avoid injuries, like the ones to current spearheads Zaheer Khan, Ishant Sharma and Munaf Patel.
"The cricket board should understand how much burden the fast bowlers can take," he said. "They can't bowl for 365 days."
Mi Vs Cc: Cape Cobras Opt To Bowl Against Mumbai Indians
NEW DELHI: Cape Cobras captain Justin Kemp won the toss and chose to bowl against Mumbai Indians in their Champions League Twenty20 clash at M Chinnaswamy stadium in Bangalore on Friday.
Scorecard | CLT20 Match Centre | CLT20 Points Table
Cobras are unchanged from the last match and Mumbai have replaced T Suman with Sarul Kanwar.
Having won both their previous matches in the league stage, the Harbhajan Singh-led Mumbai outfit are at the moment sitting comfortably on the top of the table with four points and another win would ensure their uninterrupted passage to the next level.
Cape Cobras, meanwhile, with a win and a loss from two matches, would certainly need a victory to keep their hopes alive of making it to the semifinal stage.
The South African side opened their Group A campaign in style with a comfortable seven-wicket victory over the New South Wales.
But their shocking loss at the hands of the Chennai Super Kings when Dwayne Bravo lifted the defending champions from a hopeless situation to a stunning four-wicket win, must have left them with a low morale.
The Justin Kemp-led side will be looking at pacer Dale Steyn to make early inroads with Robin Peterson and Vernon Philander giving him good support, while expect Charles Langevedlt to chip in as the specialist death bowler.
As far as the batting is concerned, Cobras will pin their hopes on the likes of Herschelle Gibbs, Richard Levi, Owais Shah and JP Duminy to come good.
Mumbai, who got the better of Trinidad and Tobago by one wicket in a nail-biting finish in a low scoring match, would be looking to make amends in their batting.
Mumbai would largely depend on their openers - Davy Jacobs and Aiden Blizzard - for a solid start so that big hitters like Kieron Pollard and Andrew Symonds can continue the carnage.
Among the bowlers, it will be Sri Lankan pacer Lasith Malinga, who will be leading the charge and Mumbai would once again be looking at him to bail them out.
Teams:
Mumbai Indians: Harbhajan Singh (Capt.), Aiden Blizzard, Sarul Kanwar, Ambati Rayudu, Andrew Symonds, Kieron Pollard, Rajagopal Sathish, James Franklin, Lasith Malinga, Abu Nechim, Yuzvendra Chahal.
Cape Cobras: Justin Kemp (Capt.), Richard Levi, Herschelle Gibbs, Dane Vilas, Owais Shah, JP Duminy, Vernon Philander, Justin Ontong, Robin Peterson, Dale Steyn, Charl Langeveldt.
Scorecard | CLT20 Match Centre | CLT20 Points Table
Cobras are unchanged from the last match and Mumbai have replaced T Suman with Sarul Kanwar.
Having won both their previous matches in the league stage, the Harbhajan Singh-led Mumbai outfit are at the moment sitting comfortably on the top of the table with four points and another win would ensure their uninterrupted passage to the next level.
Cape Cobras, meanwhile, with a win and a loss from two matches, would certainly need a victory to keep their hopes alive of making it to the semifinal stage.
The South African side opened their Group A campaign in style with a comfortable seven-wicket victory over the New South Wales.
But their shocking loss at the hands of the Chennai Super Kings when Dwayne Bravo lifted the defending champions from a hopeless situation to a stunning four-wicket win, must have left them with a low morale.
The Justin Kemp-led side will be looking at pacer Dale Steyn to make early inroads with Robin Peterson and Vernon Philander giving him good support, while expect Charles Langevedlt to chip in as the specialist death bowler.
As far as the batting is concerned, Cobras will pin their hopes on the likes of Herschelle Gibbs, Richard Levi, Owais Shah and JP Duminy to come good.
Mumbai, who got the better of Trinidad and Tobago by one wicket in a nail-biting finish in a low scoring match, would be looking to make amends in their batting.
Mumbai would largely depend on their openers - Davy Jacobs and Aiden Blizzard - for a solid start so that big hitters like Kieron Pollard and Andrew Symonds can continue the carnage.
Among the bowlers, it will be Sri Lankan pacer Lasith Malinga, who will be leading the charge and Mumbai would once again be looking at him to bail them out.
Teams:
Mumbai Indians: Harbhajan Singh (Capt.), Aiden Blizzard, Sarul Kanwar, Ambati Rayudu, Andrew Symonds, Kieron Pollard, Rajagopal Sathish, James Franklin, Lasith Malinga, Abu Nechim, Yuzvendra Chahal.
Cape Cobras: Justin Kemp (Capt.), Richard Levi, Herschelle Gibbs, Dane Vilas, Owais Shah, JP Duminy, Vernon Philander, Justin Ontong, Robin Peterson, Dale Steyn, Charl Langeveldt.
Radical Us-Born Cleric Awlaqi Killed In Yemen
SANAA: Radical US-born cleric Anwar al-Awlaqi has been killed along with several other suspected al-Qaida operatives, the Yemeni defence ministry said on Friday.
It did not elaborate on the circumstances of Awlaqi's death in a statement released to the media.
But tribal sources told AFP that Awlaqi, who was on a US wanted list, was killed in an air strike on two vehicles in Marib province, an al-Qaida stronghold in eastern Yemen, early on Friday.
One tribal source said that the plane that carried out the strike was likely to be American, adding that US aircraft had been patrolling the skies over Marib for the past several days.
"US planes have been flying overhead for days now," said the tribal source would requested anonymity.
"Then this morning, at about 9:30, what appeared to be a US aircraft fired on the two cars Awlaqi and his fellow operatives are believed to have been travelling in," he said.
Another tribal source, also on the condition that he not be identified, spoke of rumours that Awlaqi had recently changed locations within Yemen.
Up until three weeks ago, he had been believed to be hiding out in the southern Shabwa province, another militant bastion.
"But then word came that Awlaqi was in fact in Marib province, a move he made sometime in the last three weeks," the source said.
The source added that Yemeni security forces have been more actively seeking Awlaqi in Marib since the speculation that he had moved location.
Earlier this month, the Washington Post said that the United States is building an array of secret new drone bases to conduct strikes against al-Qaida targets in Yemen and Somalia.
Yemeni authorities officially deny the use of drones against Al-Qaeda targets in Yemen, saying Washington provides only logistical support to Sanaa's fight against extremists.
Witnesses and residents of the southern province of Abyan, where the government is fighting an ongoing battle against al-Qaida-linked militants, regularly charge that American drones are carrying out air strikes there.
Friday's announcement was the second time the defence ministry has declared Awlaqi dead.
Last December 24, the Yemeni government announced he had been killed in an air strike, but it was later revealed that Awlaqi was still alive.
In February, the US director of the National Counterterrorism Centre, Michael Leiter, told US lawmakers Awlaqi probably posed "the most significant risk" to the United States.
Awlaqi, a US-Yemeni citizen who had eluded capture for years, was believed to be a key leaders of al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP).
In April last year, a US official said President Barack Obama's administration had authorised the targeted killing of Awlaqi, after American intelligence agencies concluded the cleric was directly involved in anti-US plots.
US intelligence officials believe Awlaqi was linked to a US army major who allegedly shot dead 13 people in Fort Hood, Texas, and to a Nigerian student accused of trying to blow up a US airliner on December 25, 2009.
It did not elaborate on the circumstances of Awlaqi's death in a statement released to the media.
But tribal sources told AFP that Awlaqi, who was on a US wanted list, was killed in an air strike on two vehicles in Marib province, an al-Qaida stronghold in eastern Yemen, early on Friday.
One tribal source said that the plane that carried out the strike was likely to be American, adding that US aircraft had been patrolling the skies over Marib for the past several days.
"US planes have been flying overhead for days now," said the tribal source would requested anonymity.
"Then this morning, at about 9:30, what appeared to be a US aircraft fired on the two cars Awlaqi and his fellow operatives are believed to have been travelling in," he said.
Another tribal source, also on the condition that he not be identified, spoke of rumours that Awlaqi had recently changed locations within Yemen.
Up until three weeks ago, he had been believed to be hiding out in the southern Shabwa province, another militant bastion.
"But then word came that Awlaqi was in fact in Marib province, a move he made sometime in the last three weeks," the source said.
The source added that Yemeni security forces have been more actively seeking Awlaqi in Marib since the speculation that he had moved location.
Earlier this month, the Washington Post said that the United States is building an array of secret new drone bases to conduct strikes against al-Qaida targets in Yemen and Somalia.
Yemeni authorities officially deny the use of drones against Al-Qaeda targets in Yemen, saying Washington provides only logistical support to Sanaa's fight against extremists.
Witnesses and residents of the southern province of Abyan, where the government is fighting an ongoing battle against al-Qaida-linked militants, regularly charge that American drones are carrying out air strikes there.
Friday's announcement was the second time the defence ministry has declared Awlaqi dead.
Last December 24, the Yemeni government announced he had been killed in an air strike, but it was later revealed that Awlaqi was still alive.
In February, the US director of the National Counterterrorism Centre, Michael Leiter, told US lawmakers Awlaqi probably posed "the most significant risk" to the United States.
Awlaqi, a US-Yemeni citizen who had eluded capture for years, was believed to be a key leaders of al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP).
In April last year, a US official said President Barack Obama's administration had authorised the targeted killing of Awlaqi, after American intelligence agencies concluded the cleric was directly involved in anti-US plots.
US intelligence officials believe Awlaqi was linked to a US army major who allegedly shot dead 13 people in Fort Hood, Texas, and to a Nigerian student accused of trying to blow up a US airliner on December 25, 2009.
India Successfully Test Fires N-Capable Agni Ii Missile
BHUBANESWAR: India on Friday successfully test fired the nuclear capable Agni II missile from a defence base in Orissa.
The surface-to-surface missile with a range of over over 2,000 km was test fired in Bhadrak district, said S.P. Dash, director of the Integrated Test Range at Wheeler's Island, about 200 km from here.
"It was a perfect launch," Dash told IANS. He added that the missile was tested at about 9.30 a.m.
The launch of the missile was postponed Aug 29 due to a technical snag.
The Agni II missile is part of India's Integrated Guided Missile Development Programme.
India had on May 17, 2010 test fired intermediate range Agni II missile, with a range of over 2,000 km after two successive failures in 2009.
The failed tests did not meet the mission's desired objectives as on both the occasions the missile lost its speed and deviated from its flight path.
The Agni II version of the Agni series of missiles was first test fired in 1999.
The surface-to-surface missile with a range of over over 2,000 km was test fired in Bhadrak district, said S.P. Dash, director of the Integrated Test Range at Wheeler's Island, about 200 km from here.
"It was a perfect launch," Dash told IANS. He added that the missile was tested at about 9.30 a.m.
The launch of the missile was postponed Aug 29 due to a technical snag.
The Agni II missile is part of India's Integrated Guided Missile Development Programme.
India had on May 17, 2010 test fired intermediate range Agni II missile, with a range of over 2,000 km after two successive failures in 2009.
The failed tests did not meet the mission's desired objectives as on both the occasions the missile lost its speed and deviated from its flight path.
The Agni II version of the Agni series of missiles was first test fired in 1999.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
