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Abigail BanerjiAugust 13, 2021 23:32:40 IST
The second launch of the year from the Indian Space Agency (ISRO) failed because its rocket was unable to place an Earth observation satellite in orbit. The launch took place in the morning due to a problem with the upper level of the rocket.

ISRO’s GSLV-F10 launches carrying Earth Observation satellite 03. Image credit: ISRO
The satellite is an imaging satellite launched by a geosynchronous satellite carrier F10 (GSLV-F10) from the Satish Dhawan Space Center in Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh. While the launch at 5.43 IST on August 12 was a success, the cryogenic upper phase lowered the ISRO because it did not ignite.
ISRO said in a tweet that “The GSLV-F10 fired today at 5:43 a.m. on IST’s schedule. The first and second stages performed normally. However, cryogenic upper stage ignition did not occur due to technical anomalies. The task could not be performed as planned.”
The launch of the GSLV-F10 took place today at 0543 according to the IST schedule. The performance of the first and second steps was normal. However, cryogenic upper phase ignition did not occur due to technical malformations. The task could not be completed as planned.
– ISRO (@isro) August 12, 2021
The cryogenic engine is very efficient compared to a conventional rocket engine, making it ideal for spacecraft. It is also incredibly difficult to develop, which is why only a handful of nations have managed to build one. The GSLV’s third stage engine is a record controller. This cryogenic engine is rated as one of the most powerful upper tier engines in the world.
It develops a thrust of 200 kN in a vacuum and can operate for 640 seconds. As a fuel, it uses a mixture of oxygen and hydrogen, which is cooled to cryogenic temperatures (below -183ºC) and are thus in liquid form.
The average cost of a GSLV launch is estimated at about 400 billion rubles, or $ 62 million, making it one of the cheapest launchers in the world.
The beginning of this launch was rocky as it was constantly pushed backwards due to either a pandemic or other technical problems. The satellite was originally scheduled to launch on March 5, 2020, but was canceled and moved on March 28, 2021. It was also postponed, after which it was planned for the May launch, which was also later canceled. The second wave of COVID-19 struck and everything stopped.
See Streaming: Launch of the EOS-03 on the GSLV-F10 https://t.co/NE3rVjNtHb
– ISRO (@isro) August 11, 2021
Since ISRO usually remains the mother of things, we do not officially know whether the satellite has been placed in orbit or whether it has disappeared.
What happened?
ISRO saw a steady 26-hour countdown that began yesterday when the rocket was transferred to a launch pad and then filled with propellant. The final countdown and launch went smoothly, but after five minutes the rocket began to “rise down,” Karthik Naren, an avid space enthusiast and blogger.
Pitching Downrange pic.twitter.com/l2zeGXUTDn
– Karthik Naren (@nkknspace) August 12, 2021
According to the report PTI, after the commander of the operation had given instructions for the launch, the GSLV-F10 exploded.
The task manager said that the performance of the first and second phases of the rocket was normal.
Naren said Firstpost, “About five minutes after launch, the rocket lost its secondary school attitude and speed and eventually fell – you can see the graphics at the end of the slope.”
“The shield had already detached, and the satellite was exposed to a vacuum in space at an altitude of 130 km.”
Scientists held discussions, after which the Range Operations Director announced that “the task could not be completed completely” due to a “performance deviation.”
Later, President of ISRO K.
“The satellite did not reach orbit because the original cryogenic upper phase or CUS-15 had to return for a few more minutes to reach orbit speed. It had to reach a targeted Geo Synchronous Transfer speed of more than 7.9 kmps, 170 × 36297 19.4 degree slope, but it can only reach 4.7 kilometers per second during a phase crash, which is why it was a deviation, ”Naren explains.
According to the information provided by ISRO, the CUS-19 must burn for a total of 13 minutes (from T + 5 minutes to T + 18 minutes and 29 seconds), but began to have problems at six minutes after ignition.
So where is the satellite? Naren speculates that it may have splashed into the Bay of Bengal and a lava splashed between the Andaman Islands and Thailand into the Gulf of Martaban.
Hindustan Times reports that GSLV missiles are not as successful as ISRO’s workhorse PSLV. Three of the 14 GSLV missions have failed compared to two of the 53 PSLV missions. The GSLV rocket was used to launch the Chandrayaan-2 mission, which was also a partial failure when the landing Rover module crashed to the surface of the moon as the orbit continues its scientific mission. GSLV is also the one to take Indian astronauts into space for the first time if everything goes according to plan.
“ISRO really needs to master the use of Cryogenics in its future launchers. They have already worked on Cryogenics, but these types of failures now create a new opportunity to look at their cryogenic phases, especially before the Gaganyaan mission and the upcoming Heavy Launch Vehicle projects,” Naren adds.
People react
In conversation with PTI, G-Madhavan Nair, a veteran space scientist and former ISRO chief, was shocked by the failed GSLV-F10 launch. However, he also said he was confident ISRO would return and not lose his heart as this is not unusual.
“It’s a shock to all of us. But we will recover from this shock soon and get back on track. The ISRO community is resilient enough to face such difficulties,” Nair said.
“This is a very complex task. Normally, the cryogenic phase is the most difficult compared to all other rocket propulsion forces,” he added.
From 2003 to 2009, Nair was the head of ISRO and oversaw 25 successful assignments.
ISRO has learned cryogenic technology over the years and has good accomplishments, he said. It is not so bad compared to Russia or some European countries where the cryogenic phase failure was estimated to be around 20%.
“This is the eighth launch of the cryogenic phase. The first was a problem (failed). Later, all other launches turned to textbook performance. In such a complex system, there is a limited chance of failure. We don’t have to be disappointed.”
“But at the same time, we should go to the root cause of (failure) and fix it so we don’t repeat.”
Jitendra Singh, Union Minister for Foreign Affairs (Independent Institute) Science and Technology; Secretary of State (Independent Department) Geography; The MoS PMO, staff, public challenges, pensions, nuclear power and space, said it spoke to Sivan about the failure.
“I spoke to Isro chairman Dr. K Sivan and we discussed in detail. The first two phases went well, only after that there were difficulties in igniting the cryogenic upper phase. The task can be redesigned for a while,” Singh said. on Tweet.
When ISRO announced that this task was not going as planned, many people showed their support for the National Space Agency. Fans of encouragement and pride, as well as some unwanted advice, fell from the fans and the benevolent.
Ayyo!
That’s ok isro, you know we Indians are so proud of you. Small mistakes happen here and there. ❤️❤️– Radha (@elfacination) August 12, 2021
Despite the failure of today’s GSLV launch, we should appreciate the whole #isro commendable to the team for the work they had done on this task during such a short and challenging pandemic. Despite the closures and restrictions, they made it so far. It was just another difficult day.
– #ISROfans (@Isrofans) August 12, 2021
Ooh noo. No worries, don’t worry. We will always focus more on you for future tasks and return to even stronger isros. You have done an incredibly great job in this teph pandemic situation. Take the spring isro. ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️ pic.twitter.com/n0RgDn3rqs
– Vigneshdhoni (@ Vignesh35013754) August 12, 2021
About the satellite
GISAT weighs more than two tons and has a service life of 10 years. For the first time, ISRO used the Ogive-shaped shield, a classic bullet-shaped surface housing that withstands a higher payload.
In a press release, Singh said the Earth Observation Satellite (EOS-03) is an “excellent agile Earth Observatory” that was to launch and place the GSLV-F10 rocket in the geosynchronous transmission orbit (GTO). The satellite uses the onboard propulsion system to reach approximately 36,000 km of geostationary orbit from the earth’s surface.

ISRO’s GSLV-F10 Ogive cover. Photo credit: ISRO
Geostationary means that the satellite is located above the equator and always appears to be fixed in one place in the sky. But such satellites are not stationary. All that happens is that the high orbit in which they are placed “makes the satellite orbit at the same speed as the Earth’s spin.” Because its motion is synchronized with the rotation of the earth, the GISAT-1 orbits the earth every 24 hours.
Highlights of the EOS-03
- Provide real-time images of a large area of interest.
- Monitoring of natural disasters, incidental and short-term events.
- It helps for defense purposes.
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