Bangalore: Two high school boys in Bangalore have developed their own rocket, which is all set for launch.

Rocket "Ebender", developed by the boys of standard 12 of Bishop Cotton Boys School has already been given the green signal by the Director General Civil Aviation (DGCA) R K Maheshwari and Air Traffic Control (ATC) authorities for launch on Dec 12 from Boodigere, 30 km from Bangalore.

However, "to ensure total safety, ISRO (Indian Space Research Organisation) authorities will be conducting an inspection and ultimately decide the location of the launch, which could alternatively be from Thumba (Kerala) or Sriharikota," Dr A Ebnezer, principal of one of the oldest schools in Bangalore said.

The result of sustained efforts spread over two years, the 10 ft high rocket with a three inch diameter weighs seven kgs. "The rocket has an estimated altitude of 3.2 to 3.8 km while the estimated range is 5 kms and estimated time of flight, 12 minutes", Chandan Prasad and Dhanvi Reddy said.

The name of the rocket, "Ebender, is symbolic of our affection and gratitude for the efforts made by our Principal to see our effort saw the light of the day," they said.

The duo interested in rocket technology were inspired to take up their "dream project" by a Canadian rocket enthusiast Richard Nakka, whose web page they stumbled upon while surfing.

They wanted to keep their project "a secret" but had to disclose it as it required long hours of work in the science and computer labs, which closed at six in the evening.

"Only this August we told our student counsellor Indrani Sudarshan about it who in turn coordinated with the Principal and others to ensure smooth completion of the project," the students said.

For the Principal, Dr Ebnezer, "It came as a pleasant surprise. When it was brought to my notice, I felt proud of my boys and wanted to help them in every possible way. I then took upon myself to get all the technical clearances," he said.

"If everything goes well, we want to invite Dr Kasturirangan for the launch," he said.

Son of an agriculturist in Ramanagara in Bangalore rural district, Chandan Prasad, who stays in the hostel said he is indebted to his father for being the "motivating force".

"It is he who helped me find a metal worker who could give the metal the required shape merely by looking at the blueprint of the rocket," he said.

In case of Dhanvi Reddy who lives with his mother, he said it was she who "egged me on to complete the project and not get bogged down by hurdles".

Prasad wants to pursue aerospace engineering while Dhanvi Reddy wants to take up a dual degree in Information Management System.

As part of their future plans, both want to contribute to their alma mater which has 140 year-old history and has had distinguished personalities like Dr Raja Ramanna and former HAL Chairman, Air Marshal Wollen as its alumni.