People in many parts of India speculated that the bright plume seen in the sky was a comet, meteor or UFO.
The missile was launched from the APJ Abdul Kalam Island off the Odisha coast. (Photo: Twitter/@IamAvijitDey)
By India Today Web Desk: Social media was flooded with posts from people upset by the bright flash seen in the sky that kept going. The fiery tail has given rise to speculation of meteors, comets and even unidentified flying objects (UFOs). Relax, those alien planes have yet to exist, and even if they do, they haven’t found us yet.
The flashes of fire and flare seen in the sky were from the latest operational test of India’s long-range, nuclear-capable, surface-to-surface ballistic missile Agni-V. India successfully test-fired Agni-V, a nuclear-capable ballistic missile that can hit targets up to 5,000 km away, giving a significant boost to the country’s strategic deterrence.
The missile was launched from APJ Abdul Kalam Island off the Odisha coast and the government has cleared a massive airspace for the test launch, spread over 5,000 km. The Agni-5 can bring almost the whole of Asia, including the northernmost part of China, as well as some areas of Europe under its striking range. Agni 1 to 4 missiles have a range of 700 km to 3,500 km.
Moments after the missile was launched, it was seen as a bright plume with a burning tail like a meteor, leading to speculation on social media. People posted pictures and videos on social media platforms asking what it was tagging ISRO and other space agencies.
“People are scared what is this. We didn’t hear any sound like plane, completely silent we only see light, sometimes disappearing in the sky,” posted a Twitter user with a picture from Bengal. Afterwards.” Similar posts flooded Twitter with videos from the North East and other parts of the country.
The people cited above said the successful test firing of the missile paves the way for her induction into the Strategic Forces Command that looks after India’s strategic assets. The missile has a high degree of accuracy to hit the targets. It has a height of 17 meters and is a three-stage solid rocket propelled missile system capable of carrying a warhead weighing 1.5 tonnes.
People are now looking forward to its submarine version ‘K-5’, which is expected to be tested in the near future.