Indian satellite rocket explodes after launch

Sat, 25 Dec 2010

New Delhi - India's ambitious space program suffered a setback on Saturday when its rocket carrying an advanced communications satellite exploded moments after launch.

The Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV) rocket deviated from its flight-path and burst into a fireball about a minute after launch from the Sriharikota spaceport, 90 kilometers north of the southern city of Chennai, live TV footage showed.

K Radhakrishnan, chairman of the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) which conducted the launch, said the spaceport lost control of the rocket 47 seconds after lift-off.

A technical snag in the first-stage of the rocket had caused the accident and the debris fell into the Bay of Bengal, ISRO scientists said.

This was the second GSLV rocket launch to have failed within a year - a GSLV rocket lost altitude and splashed into the Bay of Bengal in April this year. But another Indian rocket successfully put five satellites into orbit three months later in July.

The GSLV rocket is key to India's manned mission - planned for 2016 - as well as capturing a share of the commercial space launch market.

The GSLV rocket was carrying India's heaviest communications satellite with 36 transponders which was meant to replace a satellite in service for over a decade.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/news/359679,satellite-rocket-explodes-launch.html.