ISRO scientists analysing data from failed GSLV-F02

Bangalore, July 11 (UNI) Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) scientists are analysing the data from the failed flight of GSLV-F02 which disintegrated 60 seconds after launch from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre at Sriharikota yesterday following malfunctioning of one of the four strap on first stage motors.

An ISRO Spokesman told UNI here that it would take some time before the exact cause of the failure could be ascertained so that suitable modifications could be made in the next flight.

Besides telemetry data, the scientists would also read frame by frame the launch sequence as the blast off had been captured by a high speed camera, he added.

Terming yesterday's failure as a rare phenomenon, the Spokesman said every effort would be made to resume the GSLV flights within a year.

A sudden drop in pressure in one of the four strap on motors in the first stage, led to the failure of GSLV-F02, which was to hurl into Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit the 2,168 kg INSAT-4C, the heaviest communication satellite to be launched from the Indian Spaceport.

Stating that the error must have occurred after the blast off, he said if there had been any problem before the take off, the flight would have been aborted as the computers would have read the anomaly. All the four strap ons performed normally at take off put subsequently one of them could not generate enough thrust, resulting in the rocket to steering away from the intended path.

After the failed mission, ISRO Chairman G Madhavan Nair had said ''We will start the process of analysing the data available and pinpoint the exact reason for the failure in the next few days.'' UNI VK RG RR KN1655