Thiruvananthapuram: November 21, 1963 will go down in history as the day that India launched 'Nike Apache', the first rocket from the country's soil, from the sleepy fishing hamlet at Thumba near Thiruvananthapuram.

Thumba Equatorial Rocket Launching Station (TERLS), started under the leadership of Vikram A Sarabhai and now known as Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC), is all set to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the launch.

A Rohini 200 two-stage rocket with meteorological payload will be launched at 15.30 hrs (IST) on Nov 21 to commemorate the milestone in India's tryst with space.

TERLS was then located at the site where the ancient St Mary's Magdalene church stood, which the parishioners of the fishing hamlet graciously dedicated at the altar of science.

There has been no looking back since then, as India progressed from the 6.9 kg Indian-made Rohini 75 rocket launched in 1967 to the 420 tonnes Geo-synchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV), shot off recently.

The eventful period had witnessed dedicated contributions to the VSSC from an array of space scientists, including the late Homi J Bhabha and President A P J Abdul Kalam.

VSSC director V N Suresh told reporters today (Nov 19) that the first rocket launch would be re-enacted on Nov 21 to mark the occasion. Technical sessions and a flashback exhibition had also been arranged.

PTI