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Planetary News: The Planetary Society (2004)The Planetary Society Sends Condolences to the Indian Space Community Following Deadly Accident26 February 2004 The Planetary Society sends its condolences to the Indian space community following the explosion that took place on Tuesday, February 23. Six people were killed, and three seriously injured, in the accident at the Satish Dhawan Space Center on Sriharikota Island in southeastern India. "We sympathize with our Indian colleagues for the loss of life and terrible tragedy of the accident” said Louis Friedman, executive director of The Planetary Society. “Such accidents have happened to all who push the technological and exploratory limits from the present to the future. We wish India, and in particular the Indian Space Research Organization a quick recovery and the best of luck in their ventures off the Earth" he added. The mishap took place in the Center’s solid propellant space booster plant, where rocket motors are filled with the solid fuel required for their operation. According to a statement by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), a crew of nine engineers and technicians were in the final stages of a 13 day-process in which 14.5 tons of solid rocket fuel were fitted into a section of a booster. For reasons that have not yet been explained, as the crew was removing a plate used during the fuel curing process, the highly volatile fuel caught fire and exploded. A report by Newindpress states that the blast was so powerful it left a 20 foot deep crater in the ground. Killed in the accident were Ramakrishna Prasad, Basheer Saheb, N. Krishnaiah, G. Srinivasulu, Pandit, and Sanjiv. Injured were Y Krishna Prasad, S. Narayanan, and S. K. Sachin. All three have suffered serious burns. Following the accident ISRO chairman G. Madhavan Nair oversaw the appointment of a high level committee charged with investigating the accident and making recommendations to prevent such mishaps in the future. Speaking to Newindpress Nair said that the accident will not substantially change India’s launch schedule, since ISRO has an identical facility to the one damaged, that can carry out the same functions. “The accident will, of course, cause some delays, but there will not be any major programmatic impact he said. The Satish Dhawan Space Center is India’s primary space launch facility, and has been in use since 1971. |
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