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Stripped of political correctness, this means we can now say hello and shake hands with Beijing, in a matter of few minutes -- because the Agni v travels faster than a bullet.
Col C Uday Bhaskar, one of the country's foremost defence expers, decodes what the Agni V launch means for India. For those who think this will help India put China in place, think again.
"The run-up to the Agni V missile launch has seen many references to China and the fact that with a 5,000-km missile India will now be able to 'balance' its imposing neighbour.
The reality is more modest. China already has a range of proven ICBM in its inventory that straddle the 5,000 to 10,000 km bandwidth. India cannot acquire any equivalence with China in the WMD domain, nor is it warranted.
More importantly, Beijing has a geo-political missile in Rawalpindi and the scope and depth of the Sino-Pak nuclear-missile cooperation adds to the Indian security challenge.
Read the full column here.
If you don't have the time to read the piece, here is a simple graphic that tells you everything in pictures.
It cost India over Rs2,500 crore to develop the missile.
This will put India in the elite league of the US, UK, China, France and Russia, which are the only other countries to have an intercontinental ballistic missile.
However, most of these countries have tested ICBMs of longer range, and India still has some distance to go before it gets an 8,000 km to 10,000 km missile, probably the Agni VI, which some say is already under consideration.
Speaking of the other countries, China already has long range missiles positioned in Tibet. India, however, will be able to deploy the Agni V only in 2014 or 2015. Remember, today's is only the first test. There will be some time before they can be inducted into the army.
Today's test will see the missile launch from off the coast of Odisha and travel half way across the Indian Ocean!
'Then what happens to my friend who is on a flight to India from Singapore?!' you ask?
Don't worry, Southeast Asian and Oceanean countries have been alerted and the airspace along the missiles path will be cleared of all air traffic.
Here's the test launch sequence:
Seventeen metres tall, Agni-V's three-stages are powered by solid propellants.
Once it is fired, the first rocket engine will take it to a height of about 40 kilometres.
The second stage then kicks in, pushing the missile to about 150 kilometres.
The third stage then gives the final thrust, taking it to about 300 kilometres above the Earth.
The missile finally reaches a height of about 800 kilometres.
Like many other missiles, especially those you see in James Bond movies, Agni V, too, cannot be stopped once launched. And only the prime minister can order the launch of the missile, which can be kept in a silo anywhere, and fired off with its 1,000 kg nuclear payload. Scary indeed! Actually, no, not as long as Manmohan Singh is the prime minister.
If they manage to pull off today's test launch, it will be a huge shot in the arm for DRDO.
Yes, it is that same organisation that is usually under fire in the media for not delivering enough for our armed forces.
They are also known for the food products they manufacture for cold climate and space.
They have also developed technology to ensure that Seabuckthorn juice could be stored for longer duration.
They are also looking to exploit the Naga chilli, known to be the world's hottest, and use it in tear gas shells.
There is some not-so-good news here!
NDTV reports that the missile's launch has been rescheduled -- euphemism for postponed? -- to 8.30 pm now.
We hope all is well with the launch team.
Stay tuned for more alerts.
This thing is a year-old. But still gives you an idea of where we stand when compared to Paksitan, whose equivalent of the Agni is the Gauri series of missiles.
Reports say that due to heavy lightening in the launch region, the launch has been postponed for safety reasons.
The next launch schedule has not been announced yet.
The launch can happen anytime between April 18 and April 22. No precise date has been given as of now.
Stay tuned for more updates.
As we wait for news about the launch schedule, to put things in perspective about the China threat, China has about 410 missiles to India's 70.
Confirmation is here. The launch will be tomorrow.
With that, we too abort our live coverage of the Agni launch.
See you tomorrow.
The final countdown to the launch of the Agni V missile, which is a nuclear-capable missile that has a range of 5,000 kilometres, is all set to be test fired off the coast of Odisha.