Indian Space News and Discussion

[Arun_S]

[url="http://www.indianexpress.com/story-print/607087/"]Jolt to ISRO as GSLV-D3 fails[/url]

Gopu Mohan Posted online: Friday , Apr 16, 2010 at 0041 hrs



Sriharikota : India’s dream to break free from international reliance in the field of space technology suffered a major setback on Thursday, as the indigenously manufactured cryogenic component of the GSLV-D3 failed to perform as expected, tumbling the launch vehicle and hurling it into the deep waters of the Bay of Bengal minutes after take-off. GSLV-D3 was the third developmental mission in which the indigenous cryogenic engine was to be tested. An earlier experimental flight, GSLV FO2, also veered off course in 2006, forcing scientists at the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) to “kill” the rocket.



After the vehicle took off from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre at the predetermined time, 4.27 pm, the scientists were seen eyeing the monitoring equipment anxiously as the success depended on the copybook performance of the cryogenic stage, a complicated technology that was denied to the country so far by the select few who have already developed it.



“There was no indication that something was amiss. In fact, the whole process went without a glitch till then,” said K Radhakrishnan, the newly appointed Director of ISRO.



The Mission Control Centre received information that the cryogenic stage came into operation — after solid and liquid stages — 304 seconds after take off. By 505 seconds, the centre stopped receiving data from the vehicle. “The vehicle tumbled and lost control and altitude, indicating that the two smaller Verniner engines did not fire. However, now we are not very sure whether the main cryogenic engine did ignite. This we have to verify after a detailed analysis in the coming 2-3 days,” added Radhakrishnan.



The GSLV also carried an experimental payload, GSAT-4. The financial loss is to the tune of Rs 330 crore.



More than the expense, the failure of the cryogenic stage to perform is a major setback for the Indian space research community, though the ISRO chief put up a brave face. “We will find out how this happened and after an in-depth analysis, we will find out why this happened. Our target now is to make the necessary modifications and launch a similar vehicle with an Indian-made cryogenic stage within one year from now,” Radhakrishnan said.



Appearing unperturbed, he said the space agency would fire a series of 11 vehicles in the coming months, starting with the launch of a PSLV, ISRO’s workhorse, in May followed by a GSLV in September. The vehicle will also be used for Chandrayaan II, scheduled for 2013.



When asked about his feelings after having tasted failure in his first mission as the ISRO Director, Radhakrishnan [color="#0000ff"]quoted from the Bhagwad Gita:[/color]





“[size="3"][color="#0000ff"]Karmanye vadhikarasthe ma phaleshu kadachana

[/color][/size]



[size="3"][color="#0000ff"]([/color][/size]Focus on the task at hand, don’t think of results).