First Experimental Flight of India’s Next Generation Launch Vehicle GSLV MK-III Successful
The first experimental flight (GSLV Mk-III X/CARE) of India’s next
generation launch vehicle GSLV Mk-III was successfully conducted today
(December 18, 2014) morning from Satish Dhawan Space Centre SHAR,
Sriharikota. Also known as LVM3-X/CARE, this suborbital experimental
mission was intended to test the vehicle performance during the critical
atmospheric phase of its flight and thus carried a passive
(non-functional) cryogenic upper stage.
The mission began with the launch of GSLV Mk-III at 9:30 am IST from the
Second Launch Pad as scheduled and about five and a half minutes later,
carried its payload – the 3775 kg Crew Module Atmospheric Re-entry
Experiment (CARE) – to the intended height of 126 km. Following this, CARE
separated from the upper stage of GSLV Mk-III and re-entered the
atmosphere and safely landed over Bay of Bengal with the help of its
parachutes about 20 minutes 43 seconds after lift-off.
Two massive S-200 solid strap-on boosters, each carrying 207 tons of solid
propellants, ignited at vehicle lift-off and after functioning normally,
separated 153.5 seconds later. L110 liquid stage ignited 120 seconds
after lift-off, while S200s were still functioning, and carried forward
for the next 204.6 seconds.
CARE separated from the passive C25 cryogenic upper stage of GSLV Mk-III
330.8 seconds after lift-off and began its guided descent for atmospheric
re-entry.
After the successful re-entry phase, CARE module’s parachutes opened,
following which it gently landed over Andaman Sea about 1600 km from
Sriharikota, there by successfully concluding the GSLV Mk-III X/CARE
mission.
With today’s successful GSLV Mk-III X / CARE mission, the vehicle has
moved a step closer to its first developmental flight with the functional
C25 cryogenic upper stage.
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ST/jk