As reported by Chairman S Somanath, the satellite suffered "data loss" while on its way to orbit.
While the Indian Space Research Organization's (ISRO) inaugural Small Satellite Launch Vehicle (SSLV) functioned and separated as expected, the scientists were "currently evaluating" the data to determine the reason of the 'data loss' during its terminal stage, according to Chairman S Somanath.
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After lift-off, experts at the Mission Control Centre provided information on the health of the rocket. Media Center screens revealed that the satellite was well on its way when it suffered "data loss" as reported by Chairman S Somanath.
An earth observation satellite and students' satellite were launched from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre at this spaceport at exactly 9:18 a.m. on Sunday morning under a cloudy sky, with no delays. The 34-meter-long rocket ascended magnificently after completing its almost seven-and-a-half-hour countdown.
"All stages performed as expected. The first stage performed and separated, second stage performed and separated, the third stage also performed and separated, and in the terminal phase of the mission, some data loss is occurring and we are analysing the data and we will comeback on the status of the satellites as well as the vehicle performance soon," he said from the Mission Control Centre, minutes after the launch.
Before Chairman S Somanath provided an update on the mission's progress, scientists at the Mission Control Centre were spotted riveted to their computers and perplexed.
In terms of whether the mission was a success, there has been no official confirmation, as scientists are now analysing the data from the rocket.
There were panels at the Satish Dhawan Space Centre showing that the Earth Observation Satellite and AzaadiSAT had split as anticipated, according to reports.
After successfully launching several satellites using its Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) and Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicles (GSLV), ISRO targeted the SSLV market, which puts spacecraft into 500 km low earth orbit.
The Earth Observation Satellite EOS-02 and the co-passenger AzaadiSAT student satellites are the SSLV's primary payloads. The EOS-02 is a high-resolution optical remote sensing satellite. As a demonstration of launch-on-demand, an experimental imaging satellite with a quick turnaround time was built and flown. The microsatellite series includes EOS-02.
The AzaadiSAT is an 8U CubeSat with a mass of around 8 kg. It can carry 75 distinct payloads, each weighing roughly 50 grams. These payloads were built by girl students from rural areas around the nation.
The 'Space Kidz India' student team assembles the payloads. According to ISRO, the data from this satellite will be received via a ground system built by 'Space Kidz India.'
It's not the first time ISRO has had a problem with a first-time launch, as the PSLV — called the space agency's dependable workhorse — failed on its inaugural flight on September 20, 1993.
As of June 2017, India's PSLV has completed 39 successful launches since its first successful launch in October 1994. Both the CHANDRAYAAN-1 and the Mars Orbiter Spacecraft were successfully launched in 2008 and 2013 and landed on the Moon and Mars, respectively.
ISRO's first GSLV mission, carrying GSAT-1, took off and landed safely in April 2001. From January 2014, the vehicle has achieved four consecutive successes, ISRO said.
On June 5, 2017, the GSLV Mk-III made its inaugural launch and successfully delivered the GSAT-19 satellite into a Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit (GTO).
(With imputs from PTI)
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