GSLV Launched successfully

Article from "The Hindu" leading Indian newspaper

Another milestone: GSLV-F04 lifts off from the Sriharikota spaceport on Sunday. It put into orbit ISRO’s latest communication satellite INSAT-4CR.
SRIHARIKOTA: The launch of the Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle, GSLV-F04, from here on Sunday turned out to be “a sweet success,” with the launch vehicle injecting the communication satellite, INSAT-4CR, in its pre-determined orbit.
This was the heaviest satellite to be launched by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), with the INSAT-4CR tilting the scales at 2,130 kg.
It was a remarkable comeback for the ISRO after the failure of the GSLV on July 10, 2006. What added to the success of the latest mission is that it was the third consecutive successful mission this year.
On January 10, the PSLV put in orbit a spacecraft that was brought back to the earth, and on April 23, a pared down version of the PSLV put in orbit Italian satellite Agile.“A fantastic job”
ISRO Chairman G. Madhavan Nair said the ISRO team had done “a fantastic job” after the failure of the GSLV mission in 2006, and appreciated “the precision with which this mission had performed the job.”
Dr. B.N. Suresh, Director, Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre, Thiruvananthapuram, described the launch as “a sweet success.”
It showed that the GSLV was a robust vehicle, whose systems performed as expected.
As Mr. Nair described it, “from all points of view, it was a highly dramatic mission.”
The vehicle was scheduled to lift off on September 1. But the heavy downpour on August 26 played spoilsport.
“Every night, clouds would come in from somewhere. … There will be lightning. We lost 40 hours in the countdown sequence.” So the launch was postponed to 4.21 p.m. on September 2.
But 15 seconds before lift-off at 4.21 p.m., there was a problem. The signal related to the readiness of the upper, cryogenic stage did not reach the computer, which takes over the entire launch sequence 12 minutes before lift-off.
So the computer halted the launch. After the problem was addressed, the launch was re-scheduled for 6.20 p.m.
In the twilight hour, the GSLV-F04 shot off from its second launch pad at the Satish Dhawan Space Centre and rode a ball of flame. All the three stages ignited and jettisoned into the Bay of Bengal on time. Seventeen minutes after lift-off, INSAT-4CR was injected into the geosynchronous transfer orbit at a velocity of 37,000 km an hour.Signal drop-outs
The were other heartbreaking moments. There were signal drop-outs from the tracking stations at Brunei and Biak in Indonesia, and the ISRO lost track of the vehicle. This happened on and off for three and a half minutes. But at the end of 17 minutes, jubilation filled Sriharikota.
While G. Ravindranath was the Mission Director, N. Jayachandran Nair was the Vehicle Director. Prahalada Rao was the Satellite Director.Pat for scientists
PTI reports from New Delhi:
President Pratibha Patil, Vice-President Mohd. Hamid Ansari, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Lok Sabha Speaker Somnath Chatterjee on Sunday congratulated space scientists on the successful launch of communications satellite INSAT-4CR.
Ms. Patil congratulated Indian Space Research Organisation and the scientists involved in the launch of the satellite.
This successful launch further validates the immense economic and strategic importance of the country’s space programme, Mr. Ansari said.
Mr. Singh also congratulated ISRO on successful launch of GSLV-F04, which placed into orbit a communications satellite that is expected to augment Direct-to-Home television service.
Mr. Chatterjee said the successful launch “proves the point that the GSLV is a reliable vehicle.” It also underscores the self-reliance of the country’s space programme, the Speaker said. — PTI