Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

India's Successful Commercial Satellite Launch

Posted by kdawson on from the join-the-club dept.

An anonymous reader writes "Yesterday India successfully launched an Italian astronomical satellite. A BBC article (view video clip) notes that the launch grants India membership in the exclusive group of nations that can sustain commercial satellite launches. India's launch vehicle has less overall capacity than the competition — up to 1,500 kg to orbit — but the country plans to sweep the low end of the market by offering the lowest cost per launched kilogram for smaller payloads."

10 of 168 comments (clear)

  1. I can hear it now by Intron · · Score: 2, Funny

    ISS: Houston, we have a problem.

    New Delhi: Hello, please spell your name and give me your complete customer ID.

    --
    Intron: the portion of DNA which expresses nothing useful.
    1. Re:I can hear it now by zcubed · · Score: 2, Funny

      SpaceCo: Thank you for calling SpaceCo technical support, my name is David (pronounced Dahveed) how may I help you?
      ISS: I am having trouble with my 2nd lab computer
      SpaceCo: What I need you to do is make sure the power cord is plugged in. I will wait while you check.
      ISS: Yes, it is plugged in! The mouse pointer isn't moving when I touch the touch pad.
      SpaceCo: Ok, now what I need you to do is to plug the power cord into a different device to confirm that is is working correctly. I will wait while you check.
      ISS: WTF? I just told you that the mouse pointer isn't moving! The computer is powered on and I can see the screen!
      SpaceCo: Ok, now what I need you to do is make sure that the lights are green on the monitor and computer. I will wait while you check.
      ISS: Listen skippy this shit isn't funny. The computer is powered on and everything seems fine except for the mouse!
      SpaceCo: Ok, now what I need you to do is...

  2. pun by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

    I hope this will help them to curry favor with other space-industrialized nations.

  3. Re:Does anyone know... by Timesprout · · Score: 4, Funny

    Their bomb is very touchy about its weight you insensitive clod. And no it's not fat, it just has an alternative structural framework.

    --
    Do not try to read the dupe, thats impossible. Instead, only try to realize the truth
    What truth?
    There is no dupe
  4. Holy Cow... by Notquitecajun · · Score: 3, Funny

    What CAN'T you outsource to India?

    And there's a "thank you, come again" joke around here somewhere...

  5. And when you need help... by christoofar · · Score: 1, Funny

    and you call the control center that is monitoring the satellite's orbital decay, you get a Bangalore employee named "Bob" who asks you to reboot your PC.

  6. Re:Next superpowers... by spun · · Score: 3, Funny

    That's the reason I hoped you had left them off, rather than the typical US "dang soshlist ferners cain't do nutin' right!" reasoning. ;-)

    --
    - None can love freedom heartily, but good men; the rest love not freedom, but license. -- John Milton
  7. Only PolySci and SocialWork use "betterment" by xxxJonBoyxxx · · Score: 3, Funny

    ...in the betterment of a country.


    Only political science and social work majors use "betterment" when the rest of the English-speaking world would use "improvement".
    1. Re:Only PolySci and SocialWork use "betterment" by paeanblack · · Score: 3, Funny

      Only political science and social work majors use "betterment" when the rest of the English-speaking world would use "improvement".

      Why? It's a perfectly cromulent word.

    2. Re:Only PolySci and SocialWork use "betterment" by sconeu · · Score: 3, Funny

      Proper use of "betterment" embiggens the language.

      --
      General Relativity: Space-time tells matter where to go; Matter tells space-time what shape to be.