VSSC director S Somanath (right) inaugurates the ISRO Pavillion at the Thrissur Pooram exhibition on Wednesday

THRISSUR: A failure in the power system could have led to the Indian Space Research Organization ( Isro ) losing contact with the recently launched GSAT-6A communication satellite, a senior official of the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre ( VSSC ) said on Wednesday.

"We have already analysed and understood what could have gone wrong. The power system comprises the solar panel, battery and circuit. We assume a short has happened in the electrical circuit," VSSC director S Somanath said, adding that the protection circuits might not have become functional on time, leading to the damaging of wires.

He was speaking to reporters on the sidelines of the inauguration of the Isro pavilion at the Thrissur Pooram exhibition. Ruling out a possible sabotage, Somanath said that all systems were tested at various stages. He added that the scientists were still trying to control the satellite.

"We located the satellite immediately after the loss of contact, we are continuing to see the satellite, and we are trying to send some commands. But the satellite is tumbling, and is not under control. We hope that one day it will start receiving commands and we will be able to bring it to a safe mode. In the past, some satellites have responded after months of remaining out of contact,'' the VSSC director said.

Somanath said based on the GSAT-6A experience, additional precautions were being taken.He said Chandrayaan-2 will be launched in October. The earlier plan was to launch it in June, but was rescheduled to October, to facilitate more tests.

The Chandrayaan-2 will have three systems: orbiter, a lander for soft landing on the moon's surface and a six-wheel rover collect data from the moon and communicate it to the control room, he said.

