The GSAT-5P satellite undergoing prelaunch checks, photo courtesy of ISRO
The launch of India’s latest communication satellite, GSAT-5P, scheduled for Monday from the spaceport of Sriharikota, has been deferred after a leak in the Russian cryogenic engine on board the launch vehicle was discovered. The mission was called off after the Launch Authorisation Board did not give the go-ahead after a leak in one of the valves of the cryogenic engine stage was identified during the pre-countdown checks, Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) said. The homegrown GSLV-FO6 was scheduled to blast off at 4.01 pm from Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh, about 100 km from Chennai, in a 19-minute mission to put in orbit the 2310-kg satellite, intended to augment the country’s communication services. ISRO said the revised schedule for the launch would be firmed up after determining what caused this leak.