The flight of the first Indian rocket to use an indigenously developed cryogenic engine ended in failure after the vehicle deviated off course.
The Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV-D3) took off from the Indian Space Research Organisation…
The flight of the first Indian rocket to use an indigenously developed cryogenic engine ended in failure after the vehicle deviated off course.
The Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV-D3) took off from the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) Sriharikota spaceport at 16:27 on April 16.
ISRO stated that the rocket’s performance was normal through to the end of the second stage engine firing, 293 seconds after liftoff.
At that point the vehicle’s cryogenic engine was supposed to fire for another 720 seconds in order to deliver its cargo, the GSAT-4 communications satellite, into its intended geosynchronous transfer orbit (GTO).
The rocket then lost altitude and crashed safely into the Bay of Bengal. ISRO said that it is not yet clear whether the cryogenic engines ignited at all.
The agency announced that it will mount another attempt to launch a GSLV with an indigenous cryogenic engine within a year.
This technology is significant because it will allow India to become self-sufficient in the development of its rockets. Previous GSLV models have used Russian-built cryogenic engines.
At present, only Russia, France, Japan, China and the USA are capable of building their own cryogenic engines. India has been developing its own such technology for the past sixteen years.
Home-built engines would significantly lower the costs of each GSLV flight, and would allow India to snatch a larger slice of the global launch market.
This technology is also vital to the progress of India’s unmanned and manned Moon program.
