An Indian-made jet has blasted off from a page northwest of Chennai, carrying two spacecraft which will check space-docking.
Docking is essential for space station operations or staffed go to the Moon.
Sreedhara Somanath, the head of the Indian Space Research Organization, hailed the launch as” a powerful motivation” and said it had “placed the satellites in the right circle.”
India hopes to be just the third region with such systems, after Russia, the United States and China.
Narendra Modi, the prime minister, has previously stated his intention to give a man to the Moon by 2040.