India’s GSLV rocket fails in first launch since 2019
India’s attempt today to resume launches of its large GSLV rocket, stalled because of the Wuhan panic since its last launch in 2019, failed today when something went wrong with the third stage.
This entirely Indian-built rocket is the one they plan to use for their manned missions. This failure will certainly set that program back, already delayed significantly because of the shut down of their entire launch industry because of COVID-19.
The satellite, also Indian-built, is also a big loss. It was to be the first in a series of Earth observation satellites.
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India’s attempt today to resume launches of its large GSLV rocket, stalled because of the Wuhan panic since its last launch in 2019, failed today when something went wrong with the third stage.
This entirely Indian-built rocket is the one they plan to use for their manned missions. This failure will certainly set that program back, already delayed significantly because of the shut down of their entire launch industry because of COVID-19.
The satellite, also Indian-built, is also a big loss. It was to be the first in a series of Earth observation satellites.
On Christmas Eve 1968 three Americans became the first humans to visit another world. What they did to celebrate was unexpected and profound, and will be remembered throughout all human history. Genesis: the Story of Apollo 8, Robert Zimmerman's classic history of humanity's first journey to another world, tells that story, and it is now available as both an ebook and an audiobook, both with a foreword by Valerie Anders and a new introduction by Robert Zimmerman.
The ebook is available everywhere for $5.99 (before discount) at amazon, or direct from my ebook publisher, ebookit. If you buy it from ebookit you don't support the big tech companies and the author gets a bigger cut much sooner.
The audiobook is also available at all these vendors, and is also free with a 30-day trial membership to Audible.
"Not simply about one mission, [Genesis] is also the history of America's quest for the moon... Zimmerman has done a masterful job of tying disparate events together into a solid account of one of America's greatest human triumphs."--San Antonio Express-News
Well, this is certainly a setback for India’s space program, and I wish them well and a speedy recovery from this incident. It was interesting to note that the animation of the 3rd stage actually showed the vehicle starting to pitch into a forward roll before they cut away. It will be interesting to find out what exactly happened, if we ever do. The announcer handled things well saying that the scientists were “continuing to evaluate the performance of the vehicle”. I really don’t know what else you could ask for in this situation, everyone seemed very calm and professional, and I wish them the best because when they succeed we all do.
Well, it appears I should have scrolled down a bit. It looks like the third, cryogenic, stage failed to ignite. What a shame.
Very soon, SpaceX will be happy to haul up NINE of their observation satellites to GSO on a single launch, and sprinkle them in a pretty constellation around Earth.
Save all SRB’s for pyrotechnic displays.
Never manned flight again!
Including, the Communist, Russian powered “Atlas”5.
Hey Captain Emeritus – how US Space policy mixes with foreign policy can be unpredictable. Fifty years ago Henry Kissinger made a secret trip to Beijing.
It is worth remembering that the opening began as a smart, hard-headed policy that helped win the Cold War against the Soviets. I know that Russia’s foreign policy is still largely driven by the Primakov Doctrine so relations with Russia will always be prickly. But maybe the U.S. can peel the Russians away from the Chinese, and maybe cooperation in space can be part of that. I think that many of us are tired of the issues with the ISS, tired of US Companies buying Russian rocket engines, and we are suspicious of the current Russian plans to work with China on the moon. But we need to keep our future options open.
This is not the rocket they are planing on using for human space flight, this was a GSLV mk.2. The GSLV mk.3 is what they will use to fly people.
https://www.isro.gov.in/launchers/gslv-mk-iii
Cheers,
Hey Mark,,
Your “U.S. space policy” point is well taken.
Perhaps, Mr. Musk will examine the possibility of building a “Starbase” in a friendly country.
Once “Stage Zero” at Boca Chica Starbase is pumping out Starships like a Tesla factory, he could load them on ships and export them.