The Hindu Business Line : GSLV failure

Failures are indeed not uncommon in the satellite launching business. The Indian Space Research Organisation knew that only too well: four of the eight launches it conducted between 1979 and 1993 did not make the grade. But it then left those stutters and jitters behind with a string of 12 successful launches in as many years and clearly demonstrated the new levels of self-reliance it had gained in technology as well as the confidence to succeed in the risky business of rocket launches. Given this enviable track record, the first-stage mishap that brought down the Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle on Monday with its payload, the 2.1-tonne INSAT-4C, might not seem too insurmountable a problem. That ISRO did not insure the flight may not help mitigate the financial loss, but the larger commercial impact will be in the business confidence marred because the Organisation was on the verge of breaking into the lucrative, though competitive, global space transportation market. Its plan to offer a cost-effective launch facility for heavier satellites and space-based services will have to wait for at least a year, till the next GSLV launch can be undertaken. That the space agency's costs are estimated to be 25-30 per cent lower than those of such competitors as Arianespace and Lockheed Martin, and heading even lower, highlights the opportunities that will be lost in the market.

Monday's abortive effort will compound the challenge ISRO already faces in developing its own cryogenic engine. The present operational GSLV is powered by the proven Russian cryogenic engine; the previous three successful GSLVs also flew on this engine. Now for ISRO, which is hoping to switch to an indigenous engine next year, the challenge of development and adaptation could well be daunting. It has to be granted that the organisation's performance in the tough launch business in the past decade has been nothing short of excellent. Even the most advanced countries such as the US, France, Russia and China have had to go through the agony of failed launches. A ten per cent failure rate is not uncommon. The fastest way to learn is through more flights, which in the Indian context, is impractical given the small budgets with which the space programme is run.

While the failure need not dampen the morale of the dedicated and large space community, the immediate task would be rapidly to pinpoint the deficiency and overcome it. This will surely help in winning back the confidence of several countries which looked up to India to propel their space dreams as well as of domestic companies operating in the communications, entertainment and media segments. Through its 30-year space odyssey, ISRO has shown commendable resilience and the ability to learn from mistakes, helping it to master technologies that were once privy to the developed world. It needs to summon more of that resource once again to overcome this week's setback.

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