• Investment World
• eWorld
• Brand Line
• Mentor
• Life
• Canvas
• Praxis
• Urban Pulse
• Brand Quest
• The New Manager

Stocks

• Quotes
• SE Diary
• Scoreboard
• Open-End Mutual Fund

Cross Currency

• Rates
  
  

Shipping

• Ports
  
  

Archives

• Yesterday
• Datewise
• Resources
• In Focus
• In Depth

Group Sites

• The Hindu
• Business Line
• Sportstar
• Frontline
• The Hindu eBooks
• The Hindu Images

M. Somasekhar

The GSLV-F02's failure on Monday, after what seemed as a `text book' take off, not just means the loss of the INSAT-4C, but, also a minor `rollback' in its efforts to build a self-reliant programme.

Hyderabad , July 10

India's march into the big league of space powers has received a major setback, following the successive failures of its flagship projects in space - the GSLV to put heavier, commercial satellites into orbit and the defence's - Agni III, the long range missile, that would have given a credible deterrent to the country.

The success of GSLV (geosynchronous satellite launch vehicle), billed as the mainstay for the Indian Space Research Organisation's (ISRO) launch programme, would have given India, both the immediate technological capability to launch the heavier than two tonnes commercial satellites and that too at a cost that would be highly competitive to its present competitors in the global market.

Minor rollback

The GSLV-F02's failure on Monday, after what seemed as a `text book' take off, not just means the loss of the INSAT-4C, the 2,170 kg satellite that it was carrying, but, also a minor `rollback' in its efforts to build a self-reliant programme. That is to indigenously build satellites and launch from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre at Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh, where it has already put in place excellent facilities.

It would also make India less dependent on foreign rockets to put its heavier INSAT class of satellites into orbit, which in turn would save substantial foreign exchange.

Given the market experience of the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV), which can put satellites weighing up to 1,250 kgs into lower orbit, the GSLV was definitely emerging as a much economical option to foreign commercial companies like Arianespace in launching, both lighter and heavier satellites. The Antrix Corporation, the marketing arm of the ISRO, was upbeat on the prospects raised by a successful GSLV launch today. Already, it has made a mark in marketing the remote-sensed data products, derived from the series of Indian Remote Sensing satellites.

Pinning hopes on GSLV

Another `big ticket' project of the ISRO - Chandrayan, the lunar mission and also the planetary probes, also depends to a large extent on the performance of the GSLV programme. The $100-million, Chandrayan project plans to put a 525-kg satellite into polar orbit, 100 km above the moon, with the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle. It will also carry a US payload. Similarly, planetary probe missions using GSLV are also in the planning stage by the ISRO.

The successful launch of the INSAT-4C also would have given a big boost to the communications, telecom, and meteorological demands of the country. The direct-to-home (DTH) telecast and the communication needs of the private sector through the use of very small aperture terminals (VSATs) could have got a shot in the arm.

The problems that cropped up in the `unsuccessful' launch of Agni-III, on Sunday morning, on the other hand, would mean that India's capability to launch long range missiles of 3,500 km, carrying both conventional and nuclear warhead, which can give it a credible deterrent have to wait much longer.

Tech snags

Coincidentally, in both Agni-III and GSLV F02, the take-off was perfect, but technical snags surfaced rapidly, resulting in the loss of the payload and the carrier tumbling off into the sea. Though the Agni is a two-stage, solid propellant powered rocket and the GSLV, a three stage rocket with solid, liquid and cryogenic propellants, the factors that caused the failures, need to be studied quickly, and corrected, for the projects are complex and challenging for the scientific community, intending to give India the advantages in space and strategic defence.

More Stories on : Science & Technology | Science & Technology

Article E-Mail :: Comment :: Syndication :: Printer Friendly Page

Stories in this Section
Fresh monsoon `low' less reassuring

Copyright © 2006, The Hindu Business Line. Republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of The Hindu Business Line