GSAT-5P Launch Delayed By Helium Leak

By Anantha Krishnan M.

BENGALURU, India — India has postponed the scheduled Dec. 20 flight of its Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV-F06) carrying the GSAT-5P satellite.

Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) sources tell Aviation Week that the decision was made after a helium gas leak was detected from one of the valves in the vehicle’s upper cryogenic stage. “We observed the leak in the Russian cryogenic engine during the pre-countdown check,” says ...

---