Key Indian satellite launch
fails
The launch of India's heaviest communications satellite has failed
after the rocket carrying it veered off course and exploded.
The Insat-4C satellite weighed more than 2,000kg and was expected
to significantly enhance India's telephone and business
communications.
It came a day after a test-fire of India's longest-range
nuclear-capable ballistic missile ended in failure.
The Agni-III surface-to-surface missile crashed into the Bay of
Bengal.
Setback
Television pictures showed the Insat-4C satellite being launched
from the Sriharikota Space Research Centre in the southern state of
Andhra Pradesh.
Seconds after lift-off, the satellite's launch vehicle veered
sharply off course before disintegrating into a ball of fire and
smoke. Debris from the satellite and its rocket fell into the Bay
of Bengal.
India is hoping to break into the commercial satellite launch
market
Emergency crews were immediately alerted. It is still not clear
what caused the malfunction.
"A mishap happened in the first stage of the separation and it will
be some time before we know what went wrong," Madhavan Nair, the
mission chief, told reporters.
"We have to analyse the sequence of events to see what
happened."
India has been hoping to break into the lucrative commercial
satellite launch market, and correspondents say Monday's failure
represents a setback for its ambitions.
The country is one of the world's largest operators of
communication satellites and the disaster follows 12 successful
launches.
Monday's flight was also supposed to set the stage for an Indian
mission to the Moon.
On Sunday, the Agni-III surface-to-surface missile was test-fired
off the coast of Orissa state but crashed into the Bay of Bengal
without reaching its target.
Analysts say it has a range of more than 3,000km (1,865 miles) and
could hit targets in China.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/5165470.stm
