Hyderabad: The launch of Chandrayaan-2 was aborted on Monday with Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) stating a 'technical snag' in the launch vehicle system.
The expedition was called off at T-56th minute of the countdown.
Speaking to ETV Bharat, founder of renowned B M Birla Science Centre, Dr B G Sidharth said, "A small leak in the cryogenic engine was observed in the last minute due to which the mission was aborted."
ISRO had built its largest cryogenic engine that was supposed to put the Chandrayaan-2's lunar module in orbit around the earth.
He said that it will take at least a couple of weeks for another launch date to be announced.
Speaking about the consequences of the situation, Sidharth said that such a leak could lead to a potential explosion of the rocket either on the pad or post-launch."
Adding to this, Siddharth said that this instance is not exclusive to India only and have occurred earlier too.
A probe will also be conducted to ascertain as to why this 'leak' (if true) had appeared.
-
A technical snag was observed in launch vehicle system at 1 hour before the launch. As a measure of abundant precaution, #Chandrayaan2 launch has been called off for today. Revised launch date will be announced later.
— ISRO (@isro) July 14, 2019 " class="align-text-top noRightClick twitterSection" data="
">A technical snag was observed in launch vehicle system at 1 hour before the launch. As a measure of abundant precaution, #Chandrayaan2 launch has been called off for today. Revised launch date will be announced later.
— ISRO (@isro) July 14, 2019A technical snag was observed in launch vehicle system at 1 hour before the launch. As a measure of abundant precaution, #Chandrayaan2 launch has been called off for today. Revised launch date will be announced later.
— ISRO (@isro) July 14, 2019
Saying that the probe might take few weeks, Sidharth emphasised that a proper launch window will be required for Chandrayaan-2, keeping in mind factors like time, alignment of the planets etc.
On being asked about predictions of these risk factors, he said it is difficult to determine these technical snags. Therefore, in order to execute a major mission like this, one must keep a close vigil and if required call-off a mission too.
Having said that, he mentioned about Kalpana Chawla and her colleagues who fell prey to a tragic death due to a minor issue in their air vehicle.
He asserted that one has to be 100% accurate and that every single function has to be cleared by the concerned officials.
Also, stating that many factors can be at stake for a country in such situations, he said in case of India it would be the budget as crores of money invested in it.
He also said that incidents like these affect the prestige of a nation but as for India, it has had a good record in the past.
Why GSLV over PSLV
Chandrayaan-2 will be launched onboard the Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle MK-III, or GSLV MK-III, rocket.
As Chandrayaan-1 was based on a PSLV launch vehicle, he said that PSLV is a 'sure shot' for India. But this will not be appropriate for Chandrayaan-2, considering it has Vikarm lander and Pragyan rover.
As, the PSLV doesn't support much weight, GSLV MK-III is been used to carry Chandrayaan -2 to its designated orbit.
ISRO's Prestige
This eminent astronomer asserted that ISRO's prestige will not be affected and that such incidents could happen with any country.
He also said, such a decision of aborting the mission, on the contrary, will only prove our efficiency. It will also enhance the organisation's capabilities in being meticulous and accurate.
