MUMBAI: India’s national space agency has lost contact with a satellitedays after it was launched into orbit with much fanfare, authorities saidSunday.
The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) lost communication with theGSAT-6A satellite as it prepared to undertake its third and final orbitingmanoeuvre on Saturday.
“Efforts are underway to establish the link with the satellite,” ISRO saidin a statement.
The satellite — an indigenous model weighing more than 2,000 tonnes — wasdesigned to improve communications for the armed forces.
It was launched from the southern state of Andhra Pradesh on Thursday.
The space programme is a source of much pride in India and an achievementthat highlights its emergence as a rising power and major world economy.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi hailed the launch Thursday, saying he was“proud of ISRO for taking the nation towards new heights and a brighterfuture”.
The launch was seen as another feather in the cap for ISRO scientists, whowon Asia’s race to Mars in 2014 when an Indian spacecraft reached the RedPlanet on a shoestring budget.
That feat burnished India’s reputation as a reliable low-cost option forspace exploration, with its $73 million price tag drastically undercuttingNASA’s Maven Mars $671-million mission.
In February last year, India put a record 104 satellites into orbit from asingle rocket, surpassing Russia which launched 39 satellites in onemission in June 2014.
But the Indian space programme has also been blighted by failures, mostrecently in August last year when a mission to launch a backup navigationsatellite suffered a major technical glitch. – APP/AFP