Indian telecom rocket explodes seconds after take-off

This is the dramatic moment when India's ambitious space program suffered one of its biggest setback when an advanced communication satellite exploded within a minute after its launch. A stunned Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) did not give the reason for the blast in the sky but an officer told IANS that there was a fault in the second stage of the launch. 'The rocket's first stage seemed to have performed normally. The problem seems to have cropped up in the second stage as the rocket didn't get sufficient thrust,' he said. But another official insisted that even the first stage was a failure. The multi-million pound 310 kg GSAT-5P satellite, was to serve the needs of the telecommunication sector and the weather department. It was at 4.04 p.m. that ISRO launched the rocket, with the satellite, in clear sky from the Sriharikota space centre, about 80 km from Chennai. In a chilling reminder of the Challenger Space Shuttle Crash of 1986, the Indian rocket rose into the sky with a deep roar, emitting thick orange flame at its tail. And suddenly it exploded -- and disintegrated. 인도 통신위성 발사 직후 로켓 폭발 장면 인도 통신위성을 실은 로켓이 25일 발사 직후 공중 폭발했다. 26일 인공위성 발사 장면을 중계한 인도 현지 TV에 따르면 인공위성 탑재 로켓은 스리하히코타 우주발사 센터에서 발사된 뒤 첫 단계에서 폭발했다. 이로써, 인도 항국 우주 당국은 올들어 두 번째로 인공위성 로켓 발사에 실패했다.