Kushinagar(UP) (PTI): Space agency ISRO successfully conducted a rocket launching test here, marking the first time a payload was launched via a rocket from the soil of Uttar Pradesh, officials said.

The test conducted on Saturday in collaboration with Thrust Tech India Limited saw the rocket ascend 1.1 km at 5:14:33 PM, a complete success.

Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) scientist Abhishek Singh said, "The rocket was launched at 5:14 PM and 33 seconds, which went up to a height of 1.1 km. After this, a small satellite (payload) came out. As soon as it fell down to 5 metres, its parachute activated and the satellite landed within 400 metres on the ground." The 15 kg rocket also descended safely.

This test was a prelude to a larger event in October-November, where around 900 youth-built satellites will be tested.

Vinod Kumar, Director of Thrust Tech India, confirmed the company's motor test success.

"This event is being organised to generate interest in space technology among children across the region and the whole of India," he said.

Unlike previous tests in Ahmedabad using drones, this was the first time a satellite was directly launched by a rocket in UP, proving entirely successful, Singh said.

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Hyderabad (PTI): The South Central Railway on Saturday announced that it would run four special trains to manage the surge in passengers resulting from the large-scale cancellation of IndiGo flights here.

The move comes as flyers face significant disruption and long queues at the airport due to the cancellation.

A press release from the SCR said it is running the special trains to clear the extra rush of passengers to Chennai, Mumbai and Shalimar (Kolkata) from Hyderabad today.

Meanwhile, as many as 43 outbound Indigo flights were cancelled from here on Saturday, Rajiv Gandhi International Airport sources said.

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Similarly, 26 incoming flights are also likely to be cancelled during the day, they said.

The flight cancellations drew ire from passengers, who thronged the IndiGo counters at the airport demanding to know the exact situation.

“This is utter nonsense! Digiyatra done, message received that departure has been rescheduled ahead of the scheduled departure and now upon arriving at Hyderabad airport coming to know at the security checkpoint that Indigo flight is cancelled,” Tarun Singha, former Ministry of Defence spokesperson said in a post on X.

“But the thing is if you don’t shout they do nothing. Example at Hyderabad Airport, there was no staff no flight information for an hour. Then a fellow passenger started shouting on mic and an Indigo staff appeared finally,” a netizen said in a post.

On Friday, when IndiGo cancelled over 1,000 flights from across airports, its CEO Pieter Elbers apologised in a video message for the major inconvenience caused to passengers due to the disruptions.

In the one-way video communication, Elbers also said that the airline was expecting fewer than 1,000 flights on Saturday.