Indian Space News and Discussion

[Arun_S]

IN line with my earlier assessment:



[size="4"][color="blue"][url="http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/2010/12/27/stories/2010122751460300.htm"]Launch failure: Pressure now on ISRO's cryogenic project[/url][/color][/size]

Madhumathi D.S.



Bangalore, Dec. 26



Scientists and administrators of the nation's space establishment are still trying to come to terms with the Christmas Day shocker, when a presumably tried and tested GSLV satellite launcher went bust soon after take-off. There is apparently now a greater urgency than before for them to perfect and push the indigenous cryogenic stage within the next 15 months.



While Saturday's GSLV-F06 used the penultimate of the seven Russian cryo stages, the other failed GSLV (called D3) of April this year was testing the ISRO-built cryo stage for the first time.



“This (the December 25 loss) is a setback. We had not expected this to fail,” admitted Mr S. Satish, ISRO's Director for Public Relations and spokesman.



Asked if the Indian cryogenic stage that is being fine-tuned after the initial failure was being put on the fast track, he said it would be known in the coming days.



The GSLV is ISRO's vehicle to lift 2000-kg spacecraft into equatorial, Earth-facing orbits that are 36,000 km away. The PSLV is its lighter lift for carrying satellites to 900 km and mainly pole-pole orbits.



“There is no issue for the next one-and-a-half years,” Mr Satish told Business Line. “We should be comfortable with what we have. Thereafter, hopefully we should have our own [cryogenic stage] by then.”



Next launch



According to him, the next GSLV was not due for at least 12-15 months. The last Russian stage would be used for the communication satellite that will come up for flight towards the end of 2011-12.



The Indian cryo stage is being ground-tested at its centres in Thiruvananthapuram. “We have identified the problem with the first flight” that failed in April, he said.



ISRO had done the due for the calendar of April 2010-March 2011, and flown two GSLV launches as planned. It had also planned two PSLV launches and one of them is due around February.



DOUBLE WHAMMY



For now, the space agency, Mr Satish said, was equally concerned on two counts: the loss of GSat-5P carrying 36 transponders for continuing broadcast and communication services; as well as the failure of the rocket, which sets back the GSLV programme. However, the existing fleet of satellites would suffice.



In a worst case, the loss of GSat-5P could warrant leasing of capacity on a foreign satellite, he conceded.







More than 24 hours after the failure, ISRO, unlike during other failures, had not yet put out an official statement on its first assessment of what went wrong with the GSLV-F06. “Launch of GSLV-F06/GSAT-5P mission not successful” was all its Web site was flashing until Sunday evening.



“Our scientists are looking into data and trying to analyse what went wrong,” Mr Satish said.



F06, the vehicle that flew on December 25, was the sixth GSLV outing using the Russian cryogenic stage in its third stage and all but one of the earlier missions had passed muster. “This is different from the developmental flight of April 15 [GSLV-D3] in which we were trying to use our own cryo stage. In that case, we couldn't expect the indigenous stage to be successful in the very first flight.”