PSLV-C39 Liquid Stage at the Vehicle Assembly Building during Vehicle Integration( Image source: ISRO) PSLV-C39 Liquid Stage at the Vehicle Assembly Building during Vehicle Integration( Image source: ISRO)

The launch of navigation satellite IRNSS-1H mission from Andhra Pradesh’s Sriharikota was unsuccessful, confirmed ISRO chairman A S Kiran Kumar on Thursday. Addressing media after the launch, ISRO Chairman said the heat shield of the rocket did not separate after it took off.

Navigation satellite IRNSS-1H, which was expected to expand the existing seven satellites of the NavIC constellation, blast off Thursday 7 pm from the Sriharikota rocket port. Launched on board PSLV-C39 into a Sub-Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit (Sub-GTO), the 1425-kg satellite for navigation-related applications is the eighth satellite of the Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System (IRNSS) . 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.

Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) began the 29-hour countdown for the launch on Wednesday evening at Sriharikota, off the Bay of Bengal in Andhra Pradesh, about 80 km northeast of Chennai. The launch took place from Second Launch Pad (SLP) of the Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC).

The Mission Readiness Review (MRR) committee and Launch Authorisation Board (LAB) had on August 29 cleared the countdown.

IRNSS-1H is Undergoing Illumination Test (Image source: ISRO) IRNSS-1H is Undergoing Illumination Test (Image source: ISRO)

Live updates below:

7:43 pm Satellite got separated internally but it is enclosed within the heat shield, fourth stage: ISRO chairman on failed IRNSS-1H mission

7:41 pm There is no problem in any of the stages, but heat shield has to separate and once that happens it gets into the orbit: ISRO Chairman

7:39 pm We are getting into the details of what has happened. This has been an unsuccessful mission: ISRO chairman A S Kiran Kumar on IRNSS-1H

7:38 pm Launch mission has not succeeded. Heat shield has not separated as a result of which satellite is inside the 4th stage: ISRO Chief

7:34 pm ISRO chairman A S Kiran Kumar says navigation satellite IRNSS-1H mission from Andhra Pradesh’s Sriharikota was unsuccessful

7:06 pm: ISRO launches navigation satellite IRNSS-1H carried by PSLV from Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh.

(Source: ANI photo) (Source: ANI photo)

#WATCH: ISRO launches navigation satellite IRNSS-1H carried by PSLV from Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh. pic.twitter.com/KlfmbyDIMZ — ANI (@ANI) August 31, 2017

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