GSLV D5 to be launched on Dec 15: ISRO chairman

KOZHIKODE: The launch of Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV), which was deferred on August 19 following a flaw in the rocket, will take place on December 15, ISRO head said here today.

"The launch of GSLV D5 satellite which was postponed on August 19 about two hours before liftoff after detection of a fuel leak in the rockets' second stage will now be held on December 15," ISRO chairman Dr K Radhakrishnan said at an interactive session with students and teachers here.

GSLV is a three-stage/engine rocket. The first stage is fired with solid fuel, the second is the liquid fuel and the third stage is the cryogenic engine. Geosynchronous satellites are placed in orbits 36,000 km above the earth.

Pointing to ISRO's numerous achievements in the last 50 years, he said India ranks sixth globally in space technology. The primary objective is to advance space technology and use its applications for national benefit and for the people.

Radhakrishnan said India's ambitious project Mars Orbiter Mission (MOM) will be launched from Sriharikota on October 28. It has undergone extensive pre-launch test at ISRO's satellite centre in Bangalore, he said.

Nearly 100 students and teachers attended the programme at the Regional Science Centre and Planetarium.