The Official Press Release from the ISRO is below and it describes that the GSLV “cannot complete its mission” ie. putting the satelitte on orbit. But, as it came to know the Liquid strap-ons were (seems to be ) the reason for this hitch too., (as was in 1999).

PRESS RELEASE
Date Released: Monday, July 10, 2006
Source: Indian Space Research Organisation
India’s Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV-F02), with INSAT-4C on board, was launched from Satish Dhawan Space Centre SHAR (SDSC SHAR), Sriharihota today (July 10, 2006).

The lift-off took place at 5:38 p.m. IST.
However, GSLV-F02 could not complete the mission.

The detailed analysis of the data received from the vehicle is being analysed to pinpoint the exact reasons.

The Anatomy of the ” Failure “
The second operational flight of the GSLV rocket that was to hurl the country’s heaviest satellite yet built , 36,000 km into space instead plunged into the sea, within a minute of launch from the country’s space port at Sriharikota.
One of the four strap-on motors, attached to the 49-metre-tall, 414 tonne GSLV did not give the required thrust forcing the rocket to deviate from its flight path by about 10 degrees. The project director, who found that the first stage did not separate from the upper two stages, pressed the button to destroy the rocket for safety reasons. “It appears from preliminary data that the pressure had dropped to zero in one of the four strap-on motors and it failed to give the required thrust to the GSLV,” Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) Chairman G Madhavan Nair said, after the mishap, the first major incident in 12 launches of the space agency.(considering 9 Succesful launches in Row with 6 Foreign Satelittes/Payloads)
Five years ago, the first experimental GSLV rocket had faced a pressure drop in one of the boosters, but the onboard computers aborted the rocket, barely two seconds before lift-off. ISRO top brass had then claimed that they had perfected the in-built safety systems to prevent a disaster.
On Monday it seemed like ISRO officials had a hint of a problem in the rocket, when they delayed the launch by almost one hour. But, they went ahead at 17:38 hours, to find television sets across the world beam the five-storeyed gigantic machine bursting into flames.
Post-Moterm:

But,The strap-on Boosters is belived to have developed a snag well before the launch, and according to some reliable sources, its actually the executive decession and the political will that made to go ahead with the launch even after the strapons developed some pressure loss., (meaning the motor used for pumping fuel din’t worked upto the mark.) (but the pride of completing the mission on the announced day seems to have rushed the decassion rather than wait for the saftey check to complete) all said and done, such accidents do happen and cannot be parted with, So i personally think the ISRO guys will come up with more robust and efficent “on-board ” security measures……

The Official Press Release from the ISRO is below and it describes that the GSLV “cannot complete its mission” ie. putting the satelitte on orbit. But, as it came to know the Liquid strap-ons were (seems to be ) the reason for this hitch too., (as was in 1999).

PRESS RELEASE
Date Released: Monday, July 10, 2006
Source: Indian Space Research Organisation
India’s Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV-F02), with INSAT-4C on board, was launched from Satish Dhawan Space Centre SHAR (SDSC SHAR), Sriharihota today (July 10, 2006).

The lift-off took place at 5:38 p.m. IST.
However, GSLV-F02 could not complete the mission.

The detailed analysis of the data received from the vehicle is being analysed to pinpoint the exact reasons.

The Anatomy of the ” Failure “
The second operational flight of the GSLV rocket that was to hurl the country’s heaviest satellite yet built , 36,000 km into space instead plunged into the sea, within a minute of launch from the country’s space port at Sriharikota.
One of the four strap-on motors, attached to the 49-metre-tall, 414 tonne GSLV did not give the required thrust forcing the rocket to deviate from its flight path by about 10 degrees. The project director, who found that the first stage did not separate from the upper two stages, pressed the button to destroy the rocket for safety reasons. “It appears from preliminary data that the pressure had dropped to zero in one of the four strap-on motors and it failed to give the required thrust to the GSLV,” Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) Chairman G Madhavan Nair said, after the mishap, the first major incident in 12 launches of the space agency.(considering 9 Succesful launches in Row with 6 Foreign Satelittes/Payloads)
Five years ago, the first experimental GSLV rocket had faced a pressure drop in one of the boosters, but the onboard computers aborted the rocket, barely two seconds before lift-off. ISRO top brass had then claimed that they had perfected the in-built safety systems to prevent a disaster.
On Monday it seemed like ISRO officials had a hint of a problem in the rocket, when they delayed the launch by almost one hour. But, they went ahead at 17:38 hours, to find television sets across the world beam the five-storeyed gigantic machine bursting into flames.
Post-Moterm:

But,The strap-on Boosters is belived to have developed a snag well before the launch, and according to some reliable sources, its actually the executive decession and the political will that made to go ahead with the launch even after the strapons developed some pressure loss., (meaning the motor used for pumping fuel din’t worked upto the mark.) (but the pride of completing the mission on the announced day seems to have rushed the decassion rather than wait for the saftey check to complete) all said and done, such accidents do happen and cannot be parted with, So i personally think the ISRO guys will come up with more robust and efficent “on-board ” security measures……

India Cancels Agni III Test

The Agni III (pictured) is said to be able to deliver a 440-pound to 550-pound warhead with a high degree of accuracy.

The Indian government has decided to cancel the first test-firing of its Agni III inter-continental ballistic missile.

The Agni III was the pride of the Indian strategic missile program and was designed to have a range of at least 1,400 miles, and possibly as far as 2,000 miles, giving it the capability of hitting cities across southern China with nuclear weapons.

According to a report in Asia Times Online May 25, U.S. pressure may have played a role in Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s decision to cancel the test, which has angered pro-military hawks in the Indian defense establishment and right-wing Hindu nationalists.

“The United States has always been very suspicious about India’s Agni program, and in 1994 persuaded it to suspend testing of (earlier, shorter-range versions of) the missile after three test flights,” theAsia Times Online report said. The U.S.-backed Missile Technology Control Regime seeks to prevent the proliferation of missiles capable of delivering an 1,100-pound payload over distances of more than 180 miles.

“Decisions concerning the country’s strategic program, including the development and testing of different classes of missiles, are based on technical factors and a continuous review and assessment of our overall security environment,” an Indian Foreign Ministry spokesperson said.

The Agni III is said to be able to deliver a 440-pound to 550-pound warhead with a high degree of accuracy. The longest-range, surface-to-surface Agni III has reportedly been ready for launch for two years, but the tests have been repeatedly postponed, Asia Times Online said.

India’s military capabilities and arsenal are developed by the Defense Research and Development Organization which works in close coordination with space and nuclear-power institutions. “There is no doubt that it is the shadow of Washington and access to nuclear energy that finally tilted the scales against the Agni III.” the Asian Times Online report said

Indian Defence Minister Pranab Mukherjee has said that self-imposed “restraint” was behind India’s failure to test-fire the Agni III.

“Self-restraint does not mean that the DRDO (Defence Research and Development Organization) can’t go ahead with cold-bed tests for the missile’s subsystems,” he said.

However, Jane’s Defense Weekly noted on May 24 that Indian analysts have said Mukherjee’s “ambiguous” explanation was due to “sensitive and crucial” diplomatic and strategic talks with the United States and China. New Delhi did not want the Agni III to be a stumbling block during Mukherjee’s visit to Beijing this week. Missile tests could also hamper U.S. congressional ratification of the bilateral nuclear cooperation agreement offered by the United States, Jane’s Defense Weekly said.

An Agni III test launch would also send the “wrong signals” to the 45-member Nuclear Suppliers Group meeting in Rio de Janeiro in June, an Indian official told Jane’s.

However its understandable that the pro-nuclear hawks in the US is gunning for bush’s blood and specefically in this time when the crucial Indo-US civilian nuclear cooperation treaty is to be introduced in the senate, the reason behind the canceling of the test

Manned Spaceflight Plans For India To The ISS And Beyond

The Geostationary Launch Vehicle that ISRO has already successfully used three times can put at least two or three tons into low Earth orbit (LEO). From its launch site on the Bay of Bengal, it could reach the ISS with a reasonable load of fuel, water, or other supplies. This India Space Logistics Vehicle (ISLV) could be designed by India’s own space industry, with minimal help from the US or Russia, and prove to be far more cost effective than existing craft. Mumbai, India (SPX) Jan 16, 2006India is at a crossroads in its national space development program, having to decide if it will invest more of its small budget on manned space flight – which could be very lucrative, long-term, but which depends on certain conditions beyond its present control- or on continued robotic and scientific missions designed to benefit national development goals.Indian Space Research Organisation’s Chairman, G Madhavan Nair, recently announced that his country will decide in a year’s time on whether to develop a manned space mission.
“We have to first decide how far such a manned mission is beneficial and whether we can afford to remain without it. Only a national debate can throw up answers for a consensus to go for a manned mission,” he said. Such a program is expected to cost up to Rs 15,000 to 20,000 crore.
“We need to develop a lot of new technologies to build a life-supporting system, a space capsule with safety features to survive, and a recovery operation to complete the mission. If it is decided, then we do not want to lag behind in our preparations,” Nair said, adding it will take at least seven to eight years for the agency to prepare for the mission.
An un-manned mission, by comparison, would cost around Rs 3000 crore, “therefore, it has to be debated and decided whether it is worthwhile to go on with a manned mission, when the same can be achieved by robotic instruments,” he added.
India sent its first astronaut, Rakesh Sharma (the 138th astronaut to go into space), aboard the Soviet spacecraft Salyut 7 in April 1984, while another astronaut, the Indian-American Kalpana Chawla (who flew into space on board the Challenger twice), was killed along with six others in the Columbia shuttle disaster in February on February 1, 2003.
The United States offered to include an Indian astronaut in future manned-space missions during Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s visit to Washington, in July 2005, but haven’t made any further commitments yet.
“ISRO is still reviewing the possibility of sending an Indian astronaut in the US-backed International Space Mission. But so far no such proposal has been drafted”, Mr Nair also said recently.
If an Indian citizen were to visit the ISS, alleged areas of study would include protein synthesis, aerobic cell cultivation and efficacy of yogic exercises under micro gravity.
Since the Soviets orbited Rakesh Sharma in 1984, India has refocussed its space activities on finding ways to use space technology for the direct benefit of India’s national development goals. As India becomes a greater player in the global economy, though, ISRO’s policy is changing – with the Chandrayaan 1 moon probe a sign, perhaps, that India is aiming at becoming a full-fledged space power with civilian, commercial, military, and even human space capabilities.
The key to helping India build its human spaceflight program is the United States’ role in the ISS partnership. As an apparent new long-term strategic and economic partner of the US, it’s in America’s national interest to see India develop some of its space activities in close cooperation with the US.
President Bush has committed the US to finishing the ISS assembly process by around 2010, which it will then use for human spaceflight research, until about 2015, after which, it plans to stop funding ISS operations and concentrate on the human exploration of the Moon and Mars.
There are no official US plans for the ISS after this date but it seems unlikely that America’s partners would abandon the complex. It is probable that, within the next few years, negotiations will begin covering the long-term future of the ISS, whereby the US might consider handing over to India some of its ownership rights in the ISS. If this happens, one could expect future ISS crews to include at least one Indian astronaut.
After 2015 the ISS partnership will have to evolve into something quite different from what it is today. The US will fade into the background while the Russians, Japanese and Europeans will share the leading roles. India – and perhaps China – will have the chance to fill the void left by the Americans.
India would earn its stake in the ISS by developing and building an automated logistics spacecraft, like Russia’s Progress or Europe’s Automated Transfer Vehicle (ATV).
The Geostationary Launch Vehicle (GSLV) that ISRO has already successfully used three times can put at least two or three tons into low Earth orbit (LEO). From its launch site on the Bay of Bengal, it could reach the ISS with a reasonable load of fuel, water, or other supplies. This India Space Logistics Vehicle (ISLV) could be designed by India’s own space industry, with minimal help from the US or Russia, and prove to be far more cost effective than existing craft.
India may even want to design the ISLV so that it could evolve to deliver cargo anywhere within cislunar space, including, eventually, the surface of the Moon. A low-cost, Earth-to-Moon supply carrier, launched by a future version of the GSLV, might be a valuable business niche for India’s future, giving the country a strong claim for participation in the Vision for Space Exploration.

The US space probe “Stardust” which i reffered in my earlier blog was reportedly in superb condition after returning to Earth Sunday carrying precious dust from stars and comets, according to mission officials.
The 46-kilogram (101-pound) capsule was in “absolute excellent condition” after landing in the Utah desert, ending a seven-year journey across billions of kilometers (miles) in space, said Joe Vellinga, the Stardust program manager for US aeronautics firm Lockheed Martin.
Launched in 1999, Stardust collected the samples in the first attempt to gather, beyond the Moon, space particles that date back to before our solar system was born, or about 4.5 billion years ago.
Scientists believe the samples could offer vital clues about the origins of our solar system.
“I am very proud to say that after seven years and almost 2.9 billion miles (4.63 billion kilometers), in a harsh environement space, the Stardust capsule is back on earth, back home in our hands,” said Andrew A. Dantzler, director of NASA’s Solar System Division. as reported in CNN.com
NASA described the capsule’s entry speed — at 46,444 kilometers per hour (28,860 miles per hour) — as the fastest ever of any human-made object, topping the record set in May 1969 by the returning Apollo 10 command module.
“When we saw that drop chute open, we knew we were home safe,” said Tom Duxbury, the mission’s manager for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.

After a seven-year journey, US space probe Stardust is scheduled to deliver to Earth on Sunday samples of rare dust it has collected from stars and comets that scientists believe could offer vital clues about the solar system’s origins.

A capsule weighing 46 kilograms (101 pounds) and carrying a teaspoonful of space dust is expected to land in a Utah desert at 1012 GMT Sunday after flying 4.63 billion kilometers (2.88 billion miles) in space, or 10,000 times more than the distance separating Earth from the Moon.
The samples were collected during the first attempt to gather beyond the Moon space particles that date back to before the solar system was born, or about 4.5 billion years ago.
It also follows the 1972 mission of Apollo 17 that allowed US astronauts to bring Moon rocks back to Earth.
“Locked within the cometary particles is unique chemical and physical information that could be the record of the formation of the planets and the materials from which they were made,” said Don Brownlee, Stardust principal investigator at the University of Washington, Seattle.
Launched in 1999, the 385-kilogram (849-pound) probe, circled the Sun twice and then flew in January 2002 by comet Wild 2, which was located at the time next to Jupiter.
During the hazardous traverse, the spacecraft first deployed a shield to protect itself from gases and space dust contained in the halo of the comet.
It then flew within 240 kilometers (149 miles) of Wild 2, catching samples of comet particles and scoring detailed pictures of Wild 2’s pock-marked surface.
The 72 pictures of Wild 2 taken by the probe show its rugged surface, including craters as well as about 20 “geysers” spewing gas and dust.
During 195 days of the flight, NASA engineers used a collector to gather interstellar dust that will allow scientists to study the make-up of stars.
The special collector contains aerogel, a unique substance that can trap the particles and store the precious cargo safely until it’s returned to Earth.
Mary Cleave, associate administrator for NASA’s Science Mission Directorate, said the load Stardust will return to Earth could help space explorers on many future missions.
“Comets are some of the most informative occupants of the solar system,” she said. “The more we can learn from science exploration missions like Stardust, the more we can prepare for human exploration to the moon, Mars and beyond.”
If everything goes according to plan, on Sunday at 0557 GMT, Stardust will release its return capsule.
About Four hours later, the capsule will enter Earth’s atmosphere 410,000 feet (125 kilometers) over the Pacific Ocean.
The capsule will release a drogue parachute at approximately 105,000 feet (32 kilometers).
Once the capsule has descended to about 10,000 feet (three kilometers), its main parachute will deploy.
The capsule is scheduled to land at a military base in Utah at 1012 GMT.
After the capsule lands, a helicopter crew will fly it to the US Army Dugway Proving Ground, Utah, for initial processing.
If the weather is inclement and helicopters cannot fly, special off-road vehicles will retrieve the capsule and return it to Dugway.
The samples will be moved to a special laboratory at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas, where they will be preserved and studied.
The analysis could take scientists as long as 10 years. The work, according to one scientist, could be compared to finding 45 ants on a football field, studying five square centimeters of earth at a time.
To help the researchers, the University of California, Berkeley, has launched a drive to recruit 30,000 volunteer students, who will have access to a powerful microscope via the Internet.

MultipleMode of DOS operations.. 

Blasting space ships can be mighty fun, as anyone who’s ever played Galaga can tell you. The Air Force thinks it can put all that joystick time to good use, too — by using games to help airmen prepare for real-life outer space combat.
The service is looking for game maker to build a sim for what it calls “counterspace operations” — military-speak for stopping enemy satellites.
Right now, it’s hard to train folks to handle these kinds of missions. Wargaming in orbit is an expensive and risky proposition. And most – but definitely not all — of the coolest counterspace toys are still on the drawing board. So the Air Force wants a video game “where these tasks can be trained and rehearsed in a realistic set of scenarios and simulations.”
“Access to any classified data would be eliminated” in the simulation, the Air Force says in its request for proposals (scroll down). “[B]ut the training that is provided could be conceptually valid and of sufficient fidelity to support the key [counterpsace] tasks.”
The idea of using games to train kids for a space fight has been around for years – at least since 1985’s sci-fi classic, Ender’s Game.
The U.S. armed forces have been using games to prep its troops for even longer. Back in World War II, a flight simulator in New York’s Coney Island amusement park was turned into a training tool for military pilots. Recent years have only brought the worlds of gaming and the world of war closer, as more of combat has become a matter of pushing the right buttons; and the game have grown more realistic.
Still, you’ve got to hope that this new sim won’t be too true-to-life. What’s a space game, after all, without a tractor beams and a “challenging stage?”