ISRO postpones GSLV launch due to glitch

August 23, 2013

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) cancelled Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV) programme after imperfections in its indigenous cryogenic upper stage. The GSLV-D5 mission to launch into orbit the advanced communication satellite GSAT-14 was dropped due to a fuel leak.

The lift that was scheduled for 4.50 p.m. on August 19 from Sriharikota spaceport was just called off an hour before.

Why does the launch of GSLV-D5 hold significance?

GSLV-D5 has an indigenously built cryogenic engine which makes it special.
The launch vehicle will place 1982-kg weighing GSAT-14 in orbit to signal India’s entry into an ivy league of nations with frontier capabilities of launching 2,000-2,500 kg class of advanced communication satellites in outer space.
GSAT-14, the 23^rd geostationary communication satellite built by ISRO, will join a line-up of nine Indian satellites to help provide a host of satellite based communication services, including tele-education and tele-medicine.
The satellite will enhance the in-orbit capacity of the extended C and Ku-band transponders in the INSAT-GSAT ecosystem to set the stage for new and exciting experiments driven by satellite-based communication.
India has developed this cryogenic engine as Russia denied India from providing a cryogenic engine.

GSAT-14

Satellite with 6 extended C band and 6 Ku band transponders.
It will enhance the communication transponder capacity

The previous two efforts of ISRO to launch the satellites GSLV-F06 carrying satellite GSAT-5P in December 2010 and GSLV-D3 carrying satellite GSAT-4 in April 2010 were not a success.

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