Launch mission of first navigation satellite IRNSS-1H unsuccessful, says ISRO

Sriharikota: Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) on Thursday launched navigation satellite IRNSS-1H from Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh.

The PSLV-C39 carrying 1425 Kg IRNSS-1H series satellite was launched at 7:00 pm from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre.

Addressing the media, ISRO Chairman AS Kiran Kumar on Thursday said the launch of navigation satellite IRNSS-1H mission was unsuccessful.

AS Kiran Kumar said, "Launch mission has not succeeded. Heat shield has not separated as a result of which satellite is inside the 4th stage."

He said satellite got separated internally but it was enclosed within heat shield.

Kiran Kumar added that there was no problem in any of the stages of launch of IRNSS-1H mission launch, but heat shield has to separate and once that happens it gets into the orbit.

He said ISRO is getting into the details of what has happened.

The launch took place from the Second Launch Pad (SLP) of the Satish Dhawan Space Centre.

The PSLV launched IRNSS-1H, the eighth satellite of the Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System (IRNSS), into a Sub-Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit (Sub-GTO).

PSLV-C39, like the previous six launches of IRNSS satellites used the 'XL' version of the PSLV equipped with six strap-ons, each carrying 12 tonnes of propellant.