IRNSS-1H / PSLV

Launch data:

Description:

• IRNSS an Indian navigation satellite remained stuck to its launcher after climbing into orbit when the rocket′s aerodynamic payload shroud failed to jettison as planned several minutes after liftoff, dealing the country′s workhorse booster its first total failure since 1993. Video from an on-board camera appeared to show the IRNSS 1H navigation craft still cocooned inside the fairing long after it was supposed to separate. IRNSS 1H was to replace the first Indian navigation satellite in the IRNSS fleet—IRNSS 1A—stricken with failed atomic clocks, eliminating its ability to transmit precise position data to users on the ground. Designed for a 10-year mission, IRNSS 1A is otherwise healthy can still be used for basic message relay functions, according to the Indian Space Research Organization.

Mission details:

• On Aug 31, 2017 launch C39 of the PSLV rocket ended in failure when the payload fairing (′heat shield′ in ISRO parlance) failed to separate. The extra mass caused stage 3 to be low and slow at cutoff; instead of reaching apogee of 170 km and impacting off the coast of Chile it probably reached only 155 km and crashed near Borneo. The fourth stage, PS4, was also slowed by the extra mass, reaching a 166 x 6556 km orbit instead of the planned 284 x 20650 km. It appears that the IRNSS-1H navigation satellite may have separated from the PS4 payload adapter but remains trapped withing the attached nose fairing, resulting in a single object in orbit with a mass of about 2600 kg dry plus 827 kg of propellant. According to ISRO the propellant was successfully vented during the first day in orbit.