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Telecomunicaciones y tecnología

Modi pitches India's frugal space prowess at rocket launch


    NEW DELHI (Reuters) - Newly elected Prime Minister Narendra Modi made a pitch for India to be the world's low-cost space technology supplier, minutes after witnessing the launch of a rocket carrying five satellites from France, Singapore, Germany and Canada on Monday.

    The launch of the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle bolsters India's goal of capturing more of the $304 billion (179 billion pounds) annual global space market, and Modi seized the moment with an uplifting speech about India's prowess in cheap space technology.

    "This fills every Indian's heart with pride and I can see it reflected in the joy and satisfaction on your faces," said Modi, from the launch site of India's southeastern coast.

    "Truly this is a global endorsement of India's space capability," he said, adding that India's current Mars mission cost less than the budget of the Hollywood science fiction film Gravity.

    (Reporting by Sruthi Gottipati; Editing by Frank Jack Daniel and Ron Popeski)