GSLV mission: Scientists say cryogenic engine had ignited

A team of Indian space scientists has established that the indigenously built cryogenic engine had ignited for a second during the failed GSLV mission Thursday.

“This took place for a second and then the fuel supply to power turbo got blocked. The (Indian Space Research Organisation) chairman and we knew this on Thursday but then we wanted to be doubly sure about it. And now this has been substantiated with the data. By all means this is a great achievement,” said a senior scientist who did not wish to be identified.

Speaking said, senior space scientists said they have with them records to prove that compression had taken place and the cryogenic engine had ignited.

The GSLV D3 blasted off with a GSAT 4 satellite around 5 p.m. Thursday from Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh but then stopped emitting signals within minutes.

A high-level meeting began here Saturday to review the flight data of Thursday’s failed rocket mission.

The meeting is taking place at the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC) here, a unit of the ISRO.

ISRO Chairman K. Radhakrishnan, who arrived here Saturday night, is leading the discussion.

“The two-day meeting has also decided to constitute a failure analysis committee, where complete reasons would be listed of the failure of the mission. Finer details of the probable causes of failure would be analysed thread-bare. This committee would be headed by our chairman and would have sittings here and in Bangalore and in a month the report would be ready,” added the space scientist.

It was at ISRO’s centre at Valiyamala, in the city suburbs, that the cryogenic project took shape from the design stage to the assembly stage.