Indian Rocket Explodes After Launch
India's largest rocket lost control and
The 167-foot-tall launcher blasted off from the Satish
Trouble struck the rocket less than a minute after liftoff,
"Controllability of the vehicle was lost after about 47
The GSLV is propelled off the launch pad by a single
The liquid-fueled L40 boosters are each powered by a single
Something prevented computer steering commands from reaching
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"What has caused this interruption at 47 seconds has to
Radhakrishnan said the rocket "developed large
Safety officials issued a destruct command a few seconds
Footage showed rocket debris falling into the Bay of Bengal
The rocket was carrying GSAT 5P, the largest spacecraft ever
Indian space officials postponed the mission from Monday to
Saturday's mishap was the second failed launch this year for
A GSLV flight April 15 fell short of orbit due to a fuel
While engineers fix the problem from April, ISRO approved a
In the early stages of designing the GSLV booster for
The agreement was quashed in 1992 after U.S. authorities
India responded by purchasing seven readymade cryogenic
Officials planned another test flight of the Indian third
The GSLV was supposed to deploy the 5,093-pound GSAT 5P
GSAT 5P's weight forced Russian and Indian engineers to modify
The Russian third stage was lengthened 3.6 feet to fit an
Indian officials said the GSLV needed the additional
The launch was also supposed to test a new composite payload
After reaching a final perch more than 22,000 miles above
GSAT 5P was to be stationed in geosynchronous orbit at 55
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Stephen Clark is the Editor of Spaceflight Now, a web-based publication dedicated to covering rocket launches, human spaceflight and exploration. He joined the Spaceflight Now team in 2009 and previously wrote as a senior reporter with the Daily Texan. You can follow Stephen's latest project at SpaceflightNow.com and on Twitter.