The 44.4-meter tall Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV-C40) lifted off at 9.29 a.m. India time Jan. 12 after a 28-hr. countdown from the Satish Dhawan Space Center in Sriharikota in the southern state of Andhra Pradesh.

The Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) is getting a new chief, K. Sivan, popularly known as the “Rocket Man."

NEW DELHI—India has approved 49% foreign direct investment in Air India, increasing the prospect of its successful strategic disinvestment. Foreign airlines currently are allowed to own up to 49% in an Indian airline, with the exception of Air India. “That restriction has now been lifted by the federal Cabinet,” a senior government official said.