Rocket with Indian satellite explodes after launch

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NEW DELHI: A rocket carrying an Indian communication satellite exploded just after liftoff Saturday in the second launch failure for India’s space agency this year.
Television images showed the rocket exploding in smoke and fire just after it launched from the Sriharikota space center in Andhra Pradesh state. It was carrying a GSAT-5P communication satellite into orbit.
The vehicle developed an error 47 seconds after liftoff and lost command, leading to a higher angle in the flight, said K. Radhakrishnan, chairman of the Indian Space Research Organization.
”That caused a higher stress, breaking up the vehicle,” Radhakrishnan told reporters.
In April, a similar rocket on a developmental flight plunged into the Bay of Bengal. The ISRO said its rotor seized and turbine casing ruptured, probably due to excessive pressure and thermal stresses.
Yashpal, a retired Indian scientist and independent commentator, said he was very disappointed by Saturday’s failure, but other countries too have experienced such problems.
”I hope it’s just one of those things,” Yashpal, who uses one name, told reporters.
India is planning its first manned space flight in 2016.
An Indian satellite launched in 2008 to orbit the moon was abandoned last year after communication links snapped and scientists lost control of the satellite.
India is the fifth country after United States, Russia, China and France to enter the commercial satellite launch market.
The country has sought to convert its rise as an economic power built on a thriving high-tech sector into global clout in other areas.
Since 1994, India’s space program has launched a number of Indian-made satellites. It’s also been able to launch nine successful space flights consecutively.



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GSLV mission failed in first stage: ISRO

chief of the Indian Space Research Organisation K Radhakrishnan, while commenting on the failure of the latest communication satellite GSAT-5P onboard homegrown GSLV-F06 powered by a Russian cryogenic engine, said that the vehicle faced problems 50 seconds after its launch.


"The command for aborting the launch was issued when the vehicle was at an altitude of 8 km and 2.5 km away from Sriharikota. The satellite launch failed because control and command did not reach the activation system," said the ISRO chief.

This failure has worried ISRO authorities since India's [ Images ] second moon mission, the much-hyped Chandrayan 2, will be launched in a GSLV. Chandrayan 1 detected the presence of water on the moon and the second mission is expected to return with soil samples from the lunar surface.

The rocket, which blasted off at approximately 4 pm from the second launch pad at the Satish Dhawan Space Centre at Shriharikota, was hit by technical snag in the first stage.

According to initial reports and available data, large altitude errors lead to a higher structural load and hence the vehicle broke. The rocket exploded when scientists in charge pressed the self-destruct button, and they are investigating the cause of the failure.

"There are many aspects that we need to look into," Radhakrishnan added.

According to the ISRO chief, the mission's failure had nothing to do with the delay in the launch. The mission was originally slated to be carried out on December 20, but it was postponed to December 25. ISRO authorities had sorted out the issue and the mission was given a go-ahead only after all the necessary parameters were met by the vehicle, he said.

Speaking on Chandrayan 2, Radhakrishna said that it will be launched by 2013-2014 and it will require a GSLV rocket. "We need to work on the cryogenic stage and other parameters. We will be closely working on these aspects and are hopeful of a successful launch," he said.