India鈥檚 ambition to join the elite club of space nations stalled last week
when the maiden flight of its new 400-tonne Geosynchronous Satellite Launch
Vehicle (GSLV) was aborted on the launch pad. The four liquid-fuel strap-on
boosters ignited as scheduled 4.6 seconds before lift-off but one of the
boosters did not develop sufficient thrust. 鈥淪o the solid stage did not get
ignited,鈥 says Krishnaswamy Kasturirangan, head of the Indian Space Research
Organisation. The GSLV is the product of a 10-year, $305 million
programme and was designed to place 2-tonne satellites into geostationary
orbit.
More from New Scientist
Explore the latest news, articles and features
Technology
Test moderators use AI-generated writing to judge literacy standards
News
Mind
THC in cannabis may reduce nightmares in people with PTSD
News
Environment
Fishers detonate a bomb every hour on one Indonesian coral reef
News
Environment
How bad is the UK drought and how long will it continue?
News
Popular articles
Trending New Scientist articles