After the launch on Thursday, India’s space agency announced that the mission to deploy an earth observation satellite into orbit had failed due to a technical issue with the rocket.
After the GSLV (Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle) rocket blasted off from the southern spaceport of Sriharikota, a fault arose in the third and final ignition stage.
“The first and second stages performed as expected. Due to technical issues, however, cryogenic upper stage ignition did not occur.
The Indian Space Research Organisation declared in a statement that the mission “could not be completed as anticipated.”
The rocket was carrying an Earth observation satellite that would provide real-time surveillance of natural calamities like cyclones, flash floods, and tornadoes.
Although, the space agency did not provide further details, former agency chairman G Mahadevan Nair told broadcaster NDTV that the satellite “will have fallen in the sea and is lost forever.”
This was the fourth failure among 14 launches of India’s GSLV rockets since 2001.
The failure could impact on India’s third mission to the Moon, planned after mid-2022, which was also expected to use the GSLV rocket, the IANS news agency reported.
The Indian space agency has sent probes to the Moon and Mars in recent years besides developing a reputation for carrying low-cost satellite launches.
In 2019, India’s second mission to the Moon failed after its lander module crashed on the lunar surface some two kilometres from its designated landing site.