Countdown begins for re-launch of failed GSLV space mission
04 Jan 2014
The countdown for the re-launch of the Indian Space Research Organisation's re-engineered Geo-synchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV-D5) commenced at 11.18 am today at Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota near Chennai.
The first mission of the GSLV-D5 with an indigenous cryogenic engine was aborted at the eleventh hour on 19 August last year due to a fuel leak in its second stage.
"The 29-hour countdown for tomorrow's (Sunday) launch at 4.18 pm of GSLV-D5 carrying a 1,980 kg GSAT-14 communication satellite commenced as planned and is progressing smoothly," ISRO spokesperson Deviprasad Karnik said.
The earlier fuel tank made of an aluminium alloy called Afnor 7020 tended to crack over a period of time, and the leak was blamed on it.
The GSLV is designed to inject a satellite into the intended Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit with a combination of solid, earth-storable liquid and cryogenic propellants in its first, second and third stages respectively.