India says long-range missile test was a success April 19, 2012 -- Updated 0531 GMT (1331 HKT) NEW: The Indian defense minister calls the launch an 'immaculate' success NEW: The test firing met all of its objectives, an official says Its range puts major Chinese cities within striking distance New Delhi (CNN) -- India said Thursday that it had successfully carried out the maiden test flight of its longest-range nuclear-capable missile, which can apparently travel more than 5,000 kilometers. The Agni V rocket took off around 8:03 a.m. local time (10.33 p.m. Wednesday ET) and "met all the mission objectives," said S.P. Das, director of the missile test site. The missile, whose stated range of about 3,100 miles puts major Chinese cities within its striking distance, was fired from the coast of the eastern Indian state of Orissa. The Indian defense minister, A.K. Antony, congratulated the Defense Research and Development Organization for the "immaculate" success of the missile launch. India says the missile development is not an aggressive initiative and that its military program is based on building a credible minimum deterrent with a "no-first-use" policy. "Our missiles are purely for deterrence," Ravi Gupta, a spokesman for the Defense Research and Development Organization, had said ahead of the launch. India borders two nuclear-armed states -- its arch-rival Pakistan; and China, with which it fought a brief but bitter war in 1962. But the home-grown missile will undergo several tests more before it becomes fully operational, he said.