Indian rocket explodes post launch (Second Lead)

SRIHARIKOTA - India’s ambitious space programme suffered a serious setback Saturday as its rocket carrying an advanced communication satellite exploded after lift off.

“The rocket’s first stage seemed to have performed normally. The problem seems to have cropped up in the second stage as the rocket didn’t get sufficient thrust,” an official said.

It was at 4.04 p.m. that the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) launched the rocket, with a 2,310 kg GSAT-5P satellite costing about Rs.125 crore.

It rose into the sky with a deep roar, emitting thick orange flame at its tail. And suddenly it exploded — and disintegrated.

The launch was originally scheduled for Nov 20 but was aborted a day earlier after a leak was detected in one of the valves of the Russian-made cryogenic engine.

Later, tests ensured the stability of the valve. The ISRO gave the go-ahead for a Christmas day launch.

The Russians had supplied seven cryogenic engines long back, and India has used six of them till date.