NEW DELHI — India’s nuclear-capable, long-range Agni-V missile, with a strike range of more than 5,000 km (3,100 mi.), is scheduled to be tested this month. “The Agni-V will be tested sometime in the middle of April. The exact date has not been fixed, though,” says Defense Research and Development Organization (DRDO) chief Dr. V.K. Saraswat.

NEW DELHI — The Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) has signed a contract to launch the Spot-6 satellite for France-based EADS Astrium. The agency says Spot-6 will be launched onboard ISRO’s Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) during the second half of 2012. The PSLV, in its “core alone” configuration, will carry other payloads as well.

NEW DELHI — The Indian navy on April 4 formally commissioned a Russian-built Akula-II-class submarine into its fleet. The submarine — originally the K-152 Nerpa and now renamed INS Chakra-II — is on a 10-year lease from Russia at a cost of nearly $1 billion. This is part of India’s growing effort to modernize its naval forces. INS Chakra is the first nuclear-powered submarine to be operated by the navy in almost two decades.