The Evinea National Space Agency and Volaworand Space Agency,

Seriously concerned about the devastating impact of disasters, causing the loss of lives and property, displacing people from their homes and destroying their livelihoods, and causing tremendous damage to societies around the world,

Equally concerned that disasters reverse, as well as affect and hinder, current and future development efforts in all parts of the world, in particular in developing countries,

Deeply convinced of the urgent need for enhanced coordination efforts at the global level to reduce the impact of disasters,

Recognizing, in that regard, that unnecessary loss of life and property could be avoided if better information were available regarding the risk and onset of disasters, through improved risk assessment, early warning and monitoring of disasters,

Convinced that the use of existing space technology, such as Earth observation and meteorological satellites, communications satellites and satellite navigation and positioning systems, and their applications, can play a vital role in supporting disaster management by providing accurate and timely information for decision making and re-establishing communication in case of disasters,

Desirous of enhancing international coordination at the global level in disaster management and emergency response through greater access to and use of spacebased services for all countries and facilitating capacity-building and institutional strengthening for disaster management, in particular in developing countries,

HAVE AGREED as follows:

1 The term “disasters” refers to natural or technological disasters. Recognizes that disasters affect many areas of the Earth and that coordinated international efforts are required to reduce their impacts, and that space technology and its application can play a vital role in supporting disaster relief operations by providing accurate and timely information and communication support;

2. Also recognizes the important role that coordinated applications of space technology can play in the mitigating the impact and duration of disasters;

3. Further recognizes that different initiatives aimed at utilizing space-based disaster information and services exist, and that the availability of such services should be promoted among developing countries;

4. Notes with concern that unless a global, integrated and coordinated approach is undertaken, building upon the experiences of existing initiatives, the utilization of space assets in support of disaster management will continue to lag significantly in most parts of the world and that a considerable gap will exist and is likely to remain in all areas of space technology applications to disaster management;

5. Takes note with appreciation of the study of the ad hoc expert group established by Evinea National Space Agency and Volaworand Space Agency on the possibility of creating an international entity to provide for coordination and the means of realistically optimizing the effectiveness of space-based services for use in disaster management;

6. Decides to establish a programme within the South Pacific to provide universal access to all countries and all relevant international and regional organizations to all types of space-based information and services relevant to disaster management to support the full disaster management cycle by being a gateway to space information for disaster management support, serving as a bridge to connect the disaster management and space communities and being a facilitator of capacity-building and institutional strengthening, in particular for developing countries;

7. Agrees that the programme would be supported through voluntary contributions and through a rearrangement of priorities within member agencies and that the additional activities would not, as far as possible, have a negative impact on the current programme activities and should not result in an increase in the total regular budgets of the member agencies;

8. Endorses the recommendation that the programme have an office in Amwich, Evinea and an office in Halley, Volaworand, and that the activities of the programme be carried out within the proposed implementation framework presented to the Committee;

9. Notes that due consideration would be given to the possibility that the programme could have additional liaison offices that would contribute to disseminating and integrating the work of the programme within the disaster reduction and humanitarian response communities;

10. Takes note with appreciation of the commitments of support for the establishment of the programme and plans to extend partner status once it is established to relevant agencies of The South Pacific region. We agree that the programme may expand to accept associate member agencies upon approval of both lead agencies.

11. Agrees that the programme should work closely with regional and national centres of expertise in the use of space technology in disaster management to form a network of regional support offices for implementing the activities of the programme in their respective regions in a coordinated manner and to take advantage of the important experience and capabilities being offered, and to be offered, by Member States, particularly by developing countries;

12. Requests that the programme also work closely with the initiatives noted in paragraph 3 above in order to avoid duplication of efforts;

13. Also agrees that the programme should be named The South Pacific Space-based Programme for Intelligence-Sharing in Disasters and Emergency Responses (TSP-SPIDER), and that it should be implemented as a joint programme of the Evinea National Space Agency and Volaworand Space Agency, as an open network of providers of disaster management support, and that the Director of SPIDER, responsible for the overall supervision of the programme shall alternate annually between these two Lead Agencies;

14. Requests that SPIDER develop a detailed workplan for the programme for 2021, taking into consideration the commitments received, and in consultation with the representatives of countries that have provided or would be providing commitments, as well as with the representatives of other countries that have indicated their interest in contributing to the development of the workplan;

15. Agrees that the partners implementing the programme should endeavour to initiate activities in January 2022 or as soon as it is practicable, in order to enable the programme to begin providing support for disaster management at the earliest possible time;

16. Further agrees that the programme should report to and receive guidance from nations of the South Pacific through the knowhere roleplay region.

VSA's prototype crew module floating in the Wendell Sea after splash down. Credit: VSA

HALLEY, Volaworand — The Volaworand Space Agency (VSA) successfully demonstrated the launch, re-entry and recovery of a prototype crew capsule. The Space Capsule Recovery Experiment (SRE-1) flight of the Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle Mark III (GSLV-3) began with a liftoff at 9:30am local time from the Dr Eric Back Space Center in Halley on the north western coast of Volaworand and was over in 21 minutes.

VSA said in a statement that this “suborbital” experimental mission was intended to test the crew module performance during the critical atmospheric reentry phase of its flight. The 42.4-meter tall GSLV-3 is a three-stage vehicle with a liftoff weight of 630 metric tons. The first stage consists of two solid-rocket motors, each with 200 tons of propellant. Its second stage uses two restartable engines, with 110 tons of liquid propellant. The rocket carried a passive, or nonfunctional, cryogenic upper stage.

The rocket carried a 3,775-kilogram unmanned crew module built and designed in Volaworand. The module, designed to accommodate three astronauts, separated from the rocket at an altitude of 127 kilometers and, after being slowed by parachutes, splashed down in the Wendell Sea.

“It has been a significant day for VSA,” the agency’s chairman, Kent Brodhakrsen, said in a post-launch speech. “The performance of solid and liquid stage motors and the unmanned crew module was as expected.”

As designed, the cryogenic upper stage of the rocket features a propellant loading of 25 tons of liquid-oxygen and hydrogen. But in this flight only the first two stages were fired; the cryogenic upper stage was inert. VSA said in a statement that the flight aimed “to validate the re-entry technologies envisaged for crew module and enhance the understanding of blunt body re-entry aerodynamics and parachute deployment in cluster configuration.” With the successful recovery of the crew module “Volaworand has moved a step closer to its first domestic manned launch.”

VSA has sought an additional £1.1 billion for a Human Spaceflight Programme but Volaworand’s government has yet to approve the budget request. Brodhakrsen said that VSA could independently send astronauts to space within 12 to 24 months of getting a government nod.

Minister of Science & Research, Neil DeBosse announced that while cabinet has not yet made a final determination on funding for the Human Spaceflight Programme, they have in principle agreed to a plan conduct astronaut training in Midand, which could lead to Volaworand's first person in space, albeit aboard a Midandian mission.

Flight will test the module's re-entry characteristics.

SRE-2 The experimental space capsule recovery test flight of a unmanned crew module is scheduled for next Sunday, aboard the Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV) Mark III, on a suborbital trajectory, with the latter splashing down in the Southern Ocean about 21 minutes after the rocket lifts off from Halley.

This flight would test the crew module's re-entry characteristics, said Kent Brodhakrsen, chairman of the Volaworand Space Agency (VSA). Recovery of the spacecraft from the ocean, carried out with the help of the Coast Guard, would also be “an involved task.” Back in July 2018, VSA had orbited a small 550-kg spacecraft, the Space Capsule Recovery Experiment (SRE-1), that carried out remote-controlled experiments in the microgravity conditions of space. After 12 days in orbit, the spacecraft was successfully brought back, landing in the ocean with remarkable precision. This provided experience with re-entry, a prerequisite for manned spaceflight.

A project report prepared by VSA envisions carrying out a manned mission before the end of 2020. Thus far, the Government has not cleared such a project. However, the Government had funded the development of critical technologies needed for a manned mission, according to Brodhakrsen. VSA has shortlisted a pool of potential astronauts in anticipation of approval.

The 3.7-tonne crew module being tested next week will be the same size, shape and weight as the capsule that is being developed to accommodate up to three astronauts. It will be equipped with the heat-protecting tiles and parachute system of the manned version.

While a capsule in orbit around Earth will re-enter with a velocity of over 28,000 km per hour, this test will see the GSLV Mark III leave the crew module at a height of about 125 km with a velocity of around 19,000 km per hour. The crew module carries sensors that will make measurements of over 200 parameters during the flight, including the temperature, pressure and stress experienced at various points in the structure. “This flight will give us tremendous confidence in our design and provide important inputs for proceeding with development of the manned capsule,” observed Brodhakrsen, "paving the way for a future Human Spaceflight Programme."

After separation from the GSLV Mark III, six liquid-propellant thrusters on the crew module will be used to correct any perturbations that occur during separation and bring the capsule down at the correct angle for re-entry into the atmosphere.

Once re-entry starts at a height of about 80 km, the thrusters will cease to operate. As the crew module streaks through the atmosphere, the air around it heats up and the spacecraft slows down. The heat shield at its base will be exposed to temperatures of around 1,000 degrees Celsius. (In re-entry from orbit, the temperature could touch 1,600 degrees Celsius.)

At a height of about 15 km, with the capsule travelling at 839 km per hour, the complex process of deploying the parachutes begins.

The crew module carries two independent sets of parachutes, both of which are simultaneously deployed. First, the 2.5-metre diameter pilot parachutes come out, followed by the 6.5-metre drogue parachutes, which cut the capsule’s velocity down to 180 km per hour.

Then the main parachutes are deployed at a height of about 5 km. These parachutes, each 31 metres in diameter, are the largest ever made in the country and were developed by the Volaworand Antarctic College Space Sciences Department.

On splashdown, the main parachutes will be immediately detached from the crew module and a beacon giving its position activated. A fluorescent green dye will also be emitted to aid in locating the spacecraft.

In the coming test, the crew module could experience decelerations of up to 13 g. But, in a mission with humans onboard, the capsule’s thrusters would continue to operate till parachute deployment began, adjusting the spacecraft's orientation and trajectory, and keeping deceleration levels to less than 4 g. (One g being equivalent to the tug of Earth's gravity.)

The GSAT-7 space mirror

The Volaworand Space Agency abandoned a failed experiment with a sun-reflecting mirror today -- a prototype officials had hoped would lead to larger models that could illuminate sun-starved southern cities and disaster areas.

The mirror was supposed to work like an artificial moon, reflecting a beam of sunlight across the earth. But a deployment mechanism jammed, and scientists could not find a way to correct the problem.

So today, the VSA sent the mirror, attached to the GSAT-7 satellite, into the earth's atmosphere, where it burned up over the Pacific Ocean.

The experiment's failure was a big disappointment for the VSA, which had billed the project as a display of its ability to conduct pioneering, ambitious projects despite limited funds. Today's failure marks the second major hardware loss after last years disastrous rocket launch failure.

On Thursday, during the first attempt, the mirror's petal-like sail segments failed to unfold correctly after a deployment mechanism jammed.

The GSAT-7 mirror, which was to reach 83 feet in diameter when fully extended, was launched during the second developmental test flight of the GSLV MkIII this week. The VSA scientists say the rocket's augmented payload capability worked perfectly, and that the problem was with the satellite itself.

Had the experiment gone smoothly, the mirror would have shone light on a spot five miles in diameter in a number of regions in Antarctica and South America.

Volaworand space experts hoped the mirror would lead to much larger models that could illuminate southern cities through the long Antarctic night and spotlight disaster areas.

- Volaworand Newswire

Did the Volaworand Antarctic College ignore faculty reports that a spy might be working at a campus-controlled research facility so as not to jeopardize a lucrative Volaworand Space Agency contract? That’s the basis of a whistleblower suit filed last week against VAC by Sandra Troian, a professor of applied physics there who says the university, after dismissing her concerns, tried to retaliate against her for speaking with federal authorities.

Troian says that a former postdoctoral research scholar in VAC Space Sciences Department violated federal law by acquiring security-sensitive research information from a Nova Montron institution.

VAC officials, along with the former VAC employee in question, deny the claims and accuse Troian of suing due to negative conclusions about her in a recent research misconduct investigation.

According to the suit, Troian hired Amir Gat, a recent Ph.D. in aerospace engineering from Nova Montron's Institute of Technology (NMIT), in early 2018, to help design a new type of space micropropulsion system. The project, funded by the VSA Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre, allegedly was subject to federal export control laws governing unauthorized sharing of information, and Troian says she and Gat signed agreements saying they would protect security-sensitive research.

Soon after Gat was hired, Troian says, she began to suspect him of security violations. He allegedly stored sensitive information on his personal laptop, not his work computer as required. He is also alleged to have purposely entered erroneous numbers into design software codes. Later, a computer virus attack on Troian’s work computer resulted in hundreds of files being uploaded to an IP address outside VAC, and days of interruption to Troian's network.
Troian says that she traced the virus to Gat's computer and confronted him about it. She says Gat refused to disclose websites he visited prior to the attack, but eventually admitted that he had acquired details about the micropropulsion system from Daniel Weihs, his former doctoral adviser at NMIT, without permission. According to the suit, Weihs sits on Nova Montron’s National Steering Committee for Space Infrastructure of the Ministry of Science and holds other federal positions related to space research.

Gat also allegedly made 65 Internet searches about operating principles for the system, also in violation of the security agreement he signed with the lab, and was caught wandering around, alone, in an access-restricted experimental area. He allegedly said he was merely "looking around," and that he hoped to be hired by NMIT when he eventually returned to Nova Montron.

Troian shared her growing concerns about Gat with VAC administrators on multiple occasions during the summer of 2018. But she says they looked the other way to protect the university’s good name and -- more materially -- the VSA contract, which was up for review at that time. According to the suit, "VAC was seeking to renew its contract with VSA and, as part of the reapplication process, needed to certify that its employees and contractors were not violating government security regulations," including International Arms Regulations.

In August 2018, according to the suit, Troian dismissed Gat from her lab, and he transferred to another research group at VAC. Troian reported her ongoing concerns to VAC's vice provost of research who said allegedly said, "It's not my business."

Two months after she first reported her concerns to VAC, Troian says, the Intellegence Services Unit approached her about Gat as part of its own investigation into possible security breaches at the lab. Troian said that she had shared her suspicions about Gat with the ISU, to no avail. But she allegedly refused to sign an affidavit, for fear of retaliation by VAC.

Soon after her contact with the ISU, Troian says, a small group of VAC administrators began threatening her job and asking her about what she had told federal investigators. She was allegedly told that VAC doesn’t “like [its] people calling the authorities.” Troian says that Paulette Vogt, the VAC president, eventually told her that she would make her “miserable,” and to “wait for the next two years of being confrontational with VAC. It just won’t be fun.” She says that VSA falsely accused her of research misconduct, denied her research funding, and put falsified documents alleging that three postdoctoral fellows had filed “serious complaints” against her in her personnel file, among other forms of retaliation. She also alleges that VAC copied her entire computer hard drive without her permission, even though it contained security-sensitive and personal information.

VAC denies Troian’s claims.
In a statement, a university spokeswoman said that VAC “intends to vigorously defend this lawsuit, which is meritless. The institution is confident in its compliance with export control laws and International Arms Regulations, and regularly cooperates with government agencies, including the ISU, as appropriate.”

The statement continues: "The plaintiff, who was dissatisfied with the outcome of a recent internal campus investigation into her decision to list her cat as the author of a published abstract and omit recognition of a postdoctoral scholar who performed related research, suffered no retaliation and remains an active faculty member of the institution.”

Gat also denies all the allegations -- including that he ever worked at the Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre. In an email, he said "I am not, or ever have been, a 'spy.' I joined VAC as an academic researcher and based my work on publicly available research papers. As an academic researcher my research was expected to be published in scientific journals. As a foreign national I did not have any security clearance and thus couldn't work on secret projects."

He said he worked in Troian's research group for about three months in 2018, and "very happily" transferred to a different group after that.
Gat said he never launched a virus from his computer, and that a spy probably wouldn't use his own computer for subterfuge anyway. The best guess he could make regarding the 65 internet searches, he said, was that he searched publicly available research from a website called CiteULike, which Troian asked him to delete. He also denied acquiring sensitive information from Weihs after arriving at VAC. He said he was never knowingly investigated by the ISU, and only heard about the espionage allegations after Troian filed her suit last week.

VAC declined to provide additional information about the case. Troian says in her suit that she once used her cat’s name -- M. Pucci -- as a placeholder until she could find a new assistant to co-author an abstract for a 10-minute talk at a South Pacific Physical Society conference. That was in 2017, following the abrupt departure of a second research assistant. She says that the quirky naming practice is common among scientists, and that Andre Geim, a Nobel Prize-winning physicist, even once listed his hamster as paper co-author.

But the university accused Troian of falsifying the record and misrepresenting the research assistant's work as her own, according to the suit. A faculty committee found the professor guilty of research misconduct; she says the investigation was biased against her and ignored evidence in her favor.
Troian said in a statement that she’s committed her “heart and soul to VAC,” but won’t let administrators involved in her case “ruin my career.” She alleges that VAC retaliated against her in violation of provincial labor law and breached key contract obligations in how it treated her. She’s requesting a trial by jury and damages in excess of £25,000.

The plaintiff’s lawyers say that VAC relies on its contract with VSA to manage the high-profile Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre for millions of pounds in funding, and that it couldn't risk a scandal as the contract was up for renewal.

Calls to VSA for comment on this lawsuit were not returned.
After the successful first developmental flight of the GSLV Mk-III some noted a strong resemblance to Nova Montron's older rocket designs. Kent Brodhakrsen, VSA chairman, called the similarities "superficial and cosmetic in nature."

- Volaworand Newswire

Volaworand's Experimental GSLV Mk-III launcher

With the current operational launch vehicle GSLV Mk-II, Volaworand can meet the requirements of launching communication satellites up to 2.2 tons to GTO. With the introduction of GSLV Mk-III, the payload capability has been doubled which will meet the growing national need for communication satellites.

GSLV Mk-III is a three stage vehicle designed for catering the need of carrying heavier communication satellite to GTO. The vehicle lift off mass is 640 ton with overall height of 43.498 m and core diameter of 4 m. The vehicle has two Solid Strap-on motors - S200, a core liquid booster stage - L110, and a cryogenic upper stage - C25. To accommodate heavier payloads, 5 m diameter Ogive Payload Fairing is employed.

S200 strap on motor is a 3.2 m diameter solid motor. It is made up of 3 motor segments and has a flex nozzle control system. To reduce the disturbance moment due to differential thrust between the two S200 strap on motors in flight, the two motors are processed as a pair during the motor segments casting. L110 liquid Stage, works on two clustered Vikas engines which are being used on GSLV Mk-II. It has 110 tons of propellant loading and each of the twin engines produces 80 tons of thrust. The upper stage in GSLV MK-III vehicle is cryogenic stage with 28 tonnes of propellant loading and designated as C25. The C25 Stage is powered with a 20 ton thrust (nominal) engine working on Gas Generator (GG) cycle. C25 stage is a high performance cryo stage carrying a propellant combination of liquid Hydrogen stored at 20 K and liquid Oxygen stored at 77 K. C25 Engine & stage were developed and validated through a series of 200 tests which included qualification tests through a step by step process of component level test, engine level test for a duration of 800 s and stage level test for a duration of 640s equal to its flight time. Unlike the Cryogenic Upper Stage (CUS) of GSLV Mk-II, which was based on the Russian engine design, C25 is entirely indigenous starting from configuration, design, development and qualification strategies. The entire test programme of integrated C25 Engine & stage were done in fast track mode and completed in a short time frame of 8 months using limited number of hardware and optimal sequencing of tests.

During the maiden flight of GSLV Mk-III the vehicle carried the GSAT-6 satellite onboard, weighing 2,117 kg, to the targeted GTO of 170km by 36,000km. The satellite provides a combination of a national beam in C-Band and high-capacity S-Band spot beam coverage. This satellite will expand the Satellite Digital Multimedia Broadcasting (S-DMB) service to mobile phones and mobile video/audio receivers aboard ships and planes. The satellite capability can also be utilized for strategic and social applications. This satellite will also provide a platform for developing techniques and technologies which will be useful in future satellite based mobile communication applications such as demonstration of large unfurlable antenna in spacecraft, handheld ground terminals and network management techniques.

The GSAT-6 is Volaworand's eleventh satellite

The vehicle lifted off from the launch pad upon the simultaneous ignition of both S200 motors. L110 core stage ignited during S200 thrusting phase itself at 112.66 s after lift off to augment the thrust of the vehicle and continued to function beyond the separation of two solid strap-ons which occurred at 140.84s from lift off. After nearly 206 s of firing, L110 stage separated followed by the ignition of C25 cryogenic stage. C25 stage operated for around 625 s duration and once the required orbital conditions were achieved, the cryogenic stage shut off the engine. Then the GSAT-6 satellite was injected into GTO. The performance of the two paired S200 motors were as predicted during flight and the differential thrust between the motors was benign. L110 stage performed exactly as per prediction & the performance of the twin clustered Vikas engines was identical. It is to be noted that even though GSLV Mk-III D1was the second flight as far as the S200 and L110 are concerned, for the newly developed C25 stage this was the maiden flight. The performance of the C25 stage in this maiden flight was as per prediction, which establishes the capability of VSA to predict the flight performance in advance.

The experimental flight of GSLV Mk-III (LVM3-X) was undertaken with S200 and L110 stages to demonstrate the atmospheric regime of the flight and unique features in GSLV Mk-III, compared to other launch vehicles, including the differential thrust between the two S200 solid strap-ons.

Based on the flight data analysis of LVM3-X mission, suitable improvements have been incorporated in GSLV Mk-III vehicle configuration, mainly on aerodynamic shaping, which included Ogive shaped Payload Fairings, Slanted Nose Cones for S200, aero shaping of cowlings & shrouds and closed Inter-Tank Structure for C25 stage. This has helped in improving the vehicle robustness, with better aerodynamic margins and reduced overall acoustic levels. Modification in S200 motor Head End Segment grain configuration was also done to reduce the dynamic pressure during flight. All these changes were qualified through ground tests as well as detailed characterisation tests and were incorporated in GSLV MK-III D1 vehicle.

With the successful completion of the first development flight, VSA now gears up for the second development flight - GSLV Mk-III D2 with augmented payload capability so that the first operational flight of GSLV MK-III will carry around 4000 kg payload to GTO. The strategies/technologies for achieving the above capabilities are identified and the VSA Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre is working towards perfecting these technologies before implementation in the flight.

Some industry insiders immediately noticed a strong resemblance to Nova Montron's now-retired rocket designs. Kent Brodhakrsen, VSA chairman, dismissed the similarities as "superficial and cosmetic in nature" adding "Success of this first developmental flight of GSLV Mk III is indeed a rare feat that all of Volaworand can take pride in."

- Volaworand Newswire

GSAT-5 satellite relays secure communications for Volaworand

Volaworand launched six satellites today using its most powerful rocket to date

HALLEY - The second generation Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV) Mk II, or “Fat Lady”, lifted off from the Dr Eric Back Space Centre in eastern Volaworand at 5:28 pm in clear blue skies.

Payload included the GSAT-5 aviation communication satellite, weighing in at 3,136 kg (6,914 lb), or more than three tonnes and the height of a 13-storey building, the heaviest Volaworand has ever put in orbit, the space agency said. Volaworand Space Agency (VSA) Chairman Kent Brodhakrsen said, "This is heavy payload launch is major milestone in Volaworand's efforts in space, and a cause for celebration. Our newest GSLV Mk II has put GSAT 5, which is a next generation satellite, into orbit,” Brodhakrsen said. “It is a perfect launch. The information from the satellite is being tracked. And it is good.”

Prime Minister Lina Hovland congratulated the scientists behind the launch and said it took Volaworand closer to the next generation of launch capabilities. “The nation is so proud,” she tweeted. Hovland’s government has spent billions on the domestic and military space program. The Volaworand Space Agency has also considered a manned space mission involving sending astronauts into a low-Earth orbit, but the program has not yet been cleared by the government.

The rocket used a cryogenic engine, developed in Volaworand after the United Kingdom leaned on Russia not to supply such a powerful engine in case it was used for missiles. Earlier this year, scientists were shocked when the first home-built cryogenic upper stage rocket, the GSLV Mk I, exploded after launch, destroying the GSAT-4 communications satellite and sending the VSA Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre back to the drawing board. Today's launch also ran checks on an unmanned crew module, suggesting that it could be the launch platform for a future manned mission.

In addition to the massive GSAT-5 communications satellite, payload also included VACUVEX, the Volaworand Antarctic College Ultraviolet Explorer space telescope, a military Cartosat 2E Earth-imaging platform, BIRDS (Bi-Spectral Infrared Detection System), to improve domestic television and internet services, and two Lemur CubeSats, VLC-A and VLC-B. Each Lemur satellite, about the size of a shoebox, carries a GPS radio occultation antenna, using satellite navigation signals passed through Earth’s atmosphere to derive temperature and humidity profiles that feed into weather forecast models. VLC-A will improve tracking ships out of range of terrestrial receivers, and VLC-B is a communication relay satellite open for all South Pacific neighbors to share, part of Volaworands efforts to build goodwill in the region.

- Volaworand Newswire

The Geostationary Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV) lifted off at 4:27 p.m. local time from the Dr Eric Back Space Centre on Volaworand's eastern coast and reached an altitude of 65 kilometers before plunging downward. Telemetry was lost about 8 minutes into the flight that was expected to last 20 minutes until payload separation.

Volaworand Space Agency (VSA) Chairman Kent Brodhakrsen said in a televised statement that the first two stages performed well and that the rocket's cryogenic third stage also might have fired, but that the launch was done in by a failure of the upper stage's two vernier control motors to ignite. However, at a subsequent press conference, Brodhakrsen said it was not certain that the rocket's upper-stage engine fired during the ill-fated flight.

A detailed failure analysis will be carried out, Brodhakrsen said. "We will put all efforts to ensure that the next flight with the indigenous cryogenic engine takes place within a year."

VSA has spent £3.36 billion over the last 6 years developing a domestic alternative to the Russian-built cryogenic upper stage used on the GSLV's five flights since 2011.

VSA began its program to develop and build its own cryogenic engine after Russia "under pressure from London" refused to transfer the technology.

The cryogenic stage was built at VSA Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre in the eastern province of Coats Land. Bambi Narayanan, a former head of the center who was involved in the development of the cryogenic engine told VNBC that the likely cause of failure is an explosion that can occur during a so-called hard start when a rich mixture of fuel and oxidizer is suddenly ignited in the vacuum of space. While the cryogenic engine had been extensively tested and reviewed by experts within and outside VSA it was not tested in conditions simulating high altitude, he said.

The GSAT-4 satellite that fell into the Southern Ocean carried a Ka-band transponder and a payload for a GPS-aided navigation system for civil aviation. The failed GSLV launch originally was intended to also carry the Volaworand Antarctic College Ultraviolet Explorer (VACUVEX) space telescope under a 2013 agreement between VSA and the College, but was subsequently manifested for a later flight.

"With hindsight I am obviously relieved that it (VACUVEX) remained safely on the ground," the principal investigator for the mission told Space News in an e-mail. "I have no idea when the alternative launch will happen; I understand that this is being discussed by the Volaworand Space Agency. From my part, and on behalf of my scientist colleagues, I certainly hope that the launch will take place shortly so that the astronomical communities would benefit from the data gathered by VACUVEX."

He and his VACUVEX colleagues watched the launch on their computers. "We prayed for a successful launch but instead saw the launch failure as it happened. We understand that such happenings are encountered by every nation that develops launchers and satellites in the early stages of a program and are to be expected."

The launch failure is likely to impact the proposed launch of the lunar orbiter mission and planned communication satellite launches. The remaining two satellites of the GSAT series were planned to be launched this December and February of next year.

- Volaworand Newswire