It was a black Christmas for Indian space scientists as they were forced to destroy the Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV) and an advanced communications satellite onboard as the rocket veered off course dangerously because of an apparent flaw in the strap-on boosters less than a minute after blasting-off
from Sriharikota Range on Saturday evening. The scientists pulled the trigger — the first instance in the indigenous space programme — by pressing the “destruct” button when they realised that the control system was not responding to commands beamed from mission control centre at Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikota. “We suspect the strap-on boosters and not the first stage which is of credible pedigree and flown several times,” a top space scientist told this newspaper. The scientist said this setback would certainly upset the schedule of the space programme, including the launch of Chandrayaan-II, and Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro)’s foray into the global market for hoisting two-tonne satellites.
Today’s crash was the second since April when a malfunctioning pump in the indigenous cryogenic engine sent the GSLV crashing into the Bay of Bengal.