India satellite launch attempt fails to reach orbit

India's space agency lost a powerful satellite during a launch Thursday morning when the rocket carrying it malfunctioned soon after liftoff.

The Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) launched the EOS-03, an Earth observation satellite in the early hours of Thursday from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in southern India.

What happened to the satellite?

The satellite was launched on a geosynchronous satellite launch vehicle (GSLV), which failed to fire fully in its last stage.

"Performance of first and second stages was normal. However, Cryogenic Upper Stage ignition did not happen due to technical anomaly. The mission couldn't be accomplished as intended," the ISRO said in a statement.

The space agency did not disclose what happened to the rocket or the satellite after the ignition failure.

"Since the third stage has not ignited, it has not attained the velocity which would keep it in orbit. It will fall back to Earth sometime soon. Tracking will tell that later," according to science journalist Pallava Bagla.

US-based astronomer Jonathan McDowell said the satellite and the rocket probably fell into the Andaman Sea, west of Thailand.

What was the satellite's job?

The satellite launched on Thursday was to be geostationary, meaning it meaning it would orbit in sync with the Earth and remain over a fixed position nearly 36,000 kilometers (22,500 miles) above the equator.

A large telescope, looking down on the Indian subcontinent, was mounted on the satellite which was meant for quick monitoring of natural disasters such as cyclones, cloud bursts, and thunderstorms.

If successfully placed, the EOS-03 satellite would have also obtained data for agriculture, forestry, and marine purposes.

Fourth failure of GSLV rocket 

This was the 14th launch of the GSLV rocket and its fourth failure, according to the Indian Express newspaper. The last time a mission involving the rocket failed was in 2010.

The GSLV was last used to successfully launch a communication satellite in December 2018.

EOS-03 was initially planned to be launched in March 2020, but was delayed due to a technical glitch, and again because of the coronavirus pandemic.

India's space program has built a reputation for developing satellites, communications, and remote sensing technologies,launching them into low orbits at a fraction of the cost of other space agencies.

adi/wmr (AP, Reuters)