The
Indian space program was rocked by a setback on Christmas Day.
An unmanned Indian rocket lifted off from
the Satish Dhawan Space Center on Saturday and blew
up live on television after its launch because of a
malfunction.
The Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle
(GSLV) was carrying an advanced GSAT-5P
communication satellite into orbit when it veered off its
intended path and exploded moments after take-off. The Indian
Space Research Organization (ISRO) is citing electronic
failure as the cause.
"The
performance of the (rocket) was normal up to about 50 seconds. Soon
after that the vehicle developed large altitude error leading to
breaking up of the vehicle," ISRO
Chairman K. Radhakrishnan said.
"Data
indicates commands from onboard computers ceased to reach circuits of
the first stage (engines) but what caused the interruption needs to
be studied and we hope to get an assessment of what triggered
this."
According
to some reports, the rocket was deliberately blown up by mission
control following the malfunction.
Originally scheduled for
December 20, engineers postponed the launch after they found a leak
in one of the Russian-made cryogenic
engines of the GSLV.
The failed launch is the second
this year for the space agency. The first rocket plunged into
the Bay of Bengal during a developmental flight in April.
India
has scheduled its first manned space flight for the year 2016.
