An Indian mission to place an earth observation satellite into orbit has failed because of a technical anomaly with the rocket, the country’s space agency said after the launch on Thursday.
The problem occurred in the third and final ignition stage after the GSLV (Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle) rocket blasted off from the southern spaceport of Sriharikota.
“The performance of the first and second stages was normal. However, cryogenic upper stage ignition did not happen due to technical anomalies.
“The mission could not be accomplished as intended,” the Indian Space Research Organisation said in a statement.
The rocket was carrying an Earth observation satellite meant for quick monitoring of natural disasters such as cyclones, flash floods, and thunderstorms and provides warnings.
Although, the space agency did not provide further details, former agency chairman G Mahadevan Nair told broadcaster NDTV that the satellite “will have fallen in the sea and is lost forever.”
This was the fourth failure among 14 launches of India’s GSLV rockets since 2001.
The failure could impact on India’s third mission to the Moon, planned after mid-2022, which was also expected to use the GSLV rocket, the IANS news agency reported.
The Indian space agency has sent probes to the Moon and Mars in recent years besides developing a reputation for carrying low-cost satellite launches.
In 2019, India’s second mission to the Moon failed after its lander module crashed on the lunar surface some two kilometres from its designated landing site.