GSLV-D3 tumbles into the sea
India's ambitious quest to achieve total independence in cryogenic technology for launching satellite launch vehicles suffered a setback on Thursday, with the indigenous cryogenic engine in a Geo-synchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV-D3) failing to ignite and the vehicle tumbling into the sea.
The mission to put communication satellite GSAT-4 in orbit thus ended in failure. The vehicle, however, was not destroyed in mid-flight as its trajectory was in a safe corridor over the Bay of Bengal.
The cryogenic technology is crucial to put heavy satellites in geo-synchronous transfer orbit at an altitude of 36,000 km.
The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) was keenly looking forward to this flight because this was the first time that it was flying a GSLV with its own cryogenic engine. Gloom engulfed the Mission Control Centre at the Sriharikota spaceport as the mission's failure sank in. ISRO had worked for more than 17 years to develop its own cryogenic engine. The earlier five GSLV flights from 2001 to 2007 were powered by Russian cryogenic engines.
ISRO Chairman K. Radhakrishnan told reporters, “We are not sure whether the cryogenic main engine did ignite. We have to confirm this after looking at the various parameters that were monitored during the flight. The vehicle was tumbling. It means it lost its control and altitude. Finally, it splashed into the sea.”
The GSLV-D3, mated with GSAT-4, lifted off majestically on the dot at 4.27 p.m. after a 29-hour countdown. In fact, there was no hitch at all in the countdown. The rocket soared and everything went all right till the end of the second stage, fired by liquid propellants.
But problems developed with the ignition of the cryogenic engine in the third upper stage, which after firing for 720 seconds, would have injected the GSAT-4 into orbit. “There was a problem in the start-up of the cryogenic engine,” said the Director of the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre in Thiruvananthapuram, P.S. Veeraraghavan.
“Our team has all the capability and resilience to do an analysis and take corrective measures. Our target is to fly a GSLV with our indigenous cryogenic engine within one year. But it will be tough,” he said.
A ISRO press release says
The flight-testing of the indigenous Cryogenic Engine and the Stage conducted in the Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle GSLV-D3 this afternoon (April 15, 2010) was not successful.
GSLV-D3 vehicle lifted off as planned at 16:27 hrs after a countdown procedure lasting for 29 hours. The countdown went off as planned. GSLV-D3 vehicle performance was normal up to the end of the second stage (GS2) till 293 seconds.
Afterwards, the Cryogenic Stage was to ignite and burn for about 720 seconds to provide the necessary velocity to inject GSAT-4 Satellite into the intended Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit. It is yet to be ascertained whether the cryogenic engine did ignite. The vehicle was seen tumbling, lost altitude and finally splashed down in the sea.
Detailed analysis of the flight data is being carried out to find out the exact reasons for the failure and take corrective measures to realise the next flight test of the indigenous Cryogenic Engine and Stage within the next one year.
(B R Guruprasad), Public Relations Officer
Keywords: GSLV-D3, cryogenic technology, indigenous cryogenic engine, Geo-synchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle, GSAT-4, ISRO
Our scriptures say that there are four components of success : Heredity, Environment, Effort and Timing (Kaal)(in the order of their importance). Even if other components are ok but the Kaal is not, success would not come forth.
Failures are necessary for FIRM success. Wish them best luck for next flight with our OWN cryogenic engine!!
Dear Tom, You are right. India is not a tech giant as yet, but remember it is in the making, and sure it will be one in the near future.
Please try to count the achievements she made since independence despite so many impediments, threats 'n difficulties she has been encountering from internal and external forces.
India is not a tech giant, period.
This was the first time I saw a rocket launch with bare eyes at SHAR. To the eye the launch looked like any other. Only after the announcement of failure do I learn that the mission was not a complete success. After all rocket engineering is not for the common man to understand. But news tell us that the mission was incomplete.
We know that India is on its own at this venture of cryogenic engine. The hope and pride of the nation is with them. ISRO is working for humanity not for fame, we know that too. The various satelites put into space , and low cost but highly efficient launches done previously substantiate just that. We are not to compete with the world(so called!),to get included in some category or club nor to get some numbers talk for us.
ISRO proves its worth and purpose through its existence and untiring effort into science for welfare of human beings in general, whether they distinguish between GSLV/PSLV or not.I heard that 18 years of hard work had been put into GSLV D3 Mark II with cryogenic engine.
A step to success from failure,an opportunity to learn should not be missed.Good luck to ISRO .Proud of you..
That is first try. We have to get more efficient and try regularly.
I felt very sorry.
It is really sad to see that 18 years of hard work could not be converted into success. But we should not worry. It was a nice effort.I sincerely hope that next time we will be successful.
Congratulations to ALL personnel involved with this attempt. Have success for ever... Lets work for our nation...
A failed attempt as far as the ISRO scientists and nation is considered, but failures in the past had been the success stones for ISRO. Even others were able to develop cryogenic engines after failures. I think ISRO will surely come up with the proper analysis and make us proud by puting India's name in the elite club.
This is a sad for all of us. But our support is with the team for the next flight. God willing it will be a grand success.
Our nation is proud of our brilliant engineers who have worked so hard to make India one of the elite countries in Space research and technology. Failure is step towards success and soon we will be have our own cryogenic technology.
An impression has been created in the country by the media and vested interests that our country is a technological giant. This was done by calling computer software writing as "technology" in a manner which will help to exclude everything else from the area of knowledge denoted by that term. Since the software industry has been booming in the country, it was easy to claim that India is a technological giant. Do our achievements in other areas of technology,say, the use of thorium-based nuclear fuel, development of cryogenic engines and many others on which we have invested so much money justify such a claim?
Congratulations to ALL personnel involved with this attempt.
OK, this attempt failed. Take a break (<= one day), and get back to work: failure is NOT an option.
Determine the root cause(s), identify the failure modes/causes, and correct/fix the problem(s), and launch again. This time, spend more time on testing before actual run; maybe the test matrix was not broad enough, did not involve enough stress conditions, and can be augmented now with lessons learnt. It should be realized that this is an UNIQUE opportunity because failure creates experience and maturity, something that does not come with constant/instant success. The important criterion is to use failure as a step to success, and build on the lessons learnt. The personnel involved have awesome experience, and can ONLY do better next time. Test, resolve problems, stress test again, resolve more problems; then, verify actual test results, then prepare to launch again. There will be nothing left but success.
Below is a personal experience.
I met (in person) the founder/developer of a now very successful product (a complex computer program that is used in the civilian nuclear engineering industry worldwide). This person said that at the time he started (many years ago), he was aware of many products that did the same thing; he was also aware that there were numerous problems, and other companies had a big staff handling user problems because these companies did something and rushed out their products. This person took a different approach: he formed a big staff to study, develop, work out, test, re-test, benchmark, verify results, and when convinced that the product was quality, released it. The users were quite surprised at the quality/range of the product. This person told us that there was only ONE person who would handle user problems. Instead, a separate group had to be formed to handle the feedback from the users (instead of complaints/problems/errors), and formed one of the big steps to further success.
Again, my congratulations to ALL personnel involved.
Roy 15 April 1010
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