NEW DELHI – India’s national space agency has lost contact with a satellitedays after it was launched into orbit with much fanfare, authorities saidon Sunday.
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 launchedfrom 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 on 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.