Half the success is achieved if a space rocket crossed the earth’s atmosphere safely, Associate Director of SHAR-ISRO (Sriharikota) V. Seshagiri Rao has said on the first experimental flight of geosynchronous satellite launch vehicle (GSLV) Mark III that was successfully launched from Sriharikota on Thursday last.
GSLV Mark III, also known as LVM3, was a new satellite launch vehicle and after it has successfully crossed the earth’s atmosphere, several aspects like structure, aerodynamic status, etc. would be studied. The second aspect was sending a crew module in the rocket and this was also a success, Mr. Seshagiri Rao said while talking to The Hindu on Monday on India’s latest achievement in space.
The crew module, which was recovered by the Indian Coast Guard from the Bay of Bengal about 20 minutes and 43 seconds after the launch of LMV3, was brought to Sriharikota on Sunday night, he said.
Crew moduleThe unmanned crew module, weighing 3,775 kg, was sent instead of a satellite with the launch vehicle and after the rocket reached 126 km height in space the crew module was dropped. The three types of parachutes attached to it brought its speed as it was falling, from 5.3 km per second in the beginning to 10 meters per second as it landed safely in the Bay of Bengal. Lot of data was recorded in the crew module and we have to study it, Mr. Seshagiri Rao said.
The success of the new launch vehicle would also help the country to send four tonne communication satellites, which were being sent through European Space Agency satellites at present. The four tonne satellites could be sent once India prepared its own cryogenic engine. In LVM3, a dummy cryogenic engine was used.
Communication satellites up to a weight of 1500 kg could be sent by polar satellite launch vehicles (PSLV) but GSLV could carry 2000 kg satellites and this would help India to put more communication satellites into space as the country needs more such satellites.
