The Hindu : TRAGEDY AT SRIHARIKOTA

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Feb 25, 2004

Opinion

Opinion - Editorials

TRAGEDY AT SRIHARIKOTA

THE INDIAN SPACE Research Organisation is in shock and mourning, after a devastating fire at the solid propellant plant in the Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikota claimed six lives and left three others badly burnt on Monday afternoon. There are operations in preparing a launch vehicle or spacecraft that are inherently dangerous and accidents do happen. ISRO can be proud of its safety record. In the four decades of its existence it has suffered only one other operational mishap, which happened in the 1980s, when one person died. In solid propulsion, which involves some of the most risky operations, ISRO today has one of the most competent teams in the world. After importing solid propellant technology from France in the 1960s to build sounding rockets that could carry scientific instruments high into the atmosphere, ISRO's specialists swiftly improved on the technology. Soon they were building bigger and more powerful rocket motors. They saw to it that chemicals needed for making solid propellants were produced within the country. With future launch vehicle requirements in mind, modern facilities were established at Sriharikota in the 1970s to make and test solid motors. The successful launches of the all-solid SLV-3 in the early 1980s showcased the capability ISRO had developed. But this scientific achievement was to be surpassed by the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV). Its first stage, carrying 129 tonnes of solid propellant (which was subsequently augmented by a further 10 tonnes), is one of the largest solid motors in the world. PSLV's third stage is one of the world's biggest and most efficient upper stage solid motors. Eight PSLVs have been launched so far, each of them equipped with eight solid motors. The next generation Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV) Mark-III, which ISRO hopes to have ready by the end of this decade, will have two giant solid motors, each loaded with 200 tonnes of solid propellant.

The tremendous amount of energy solid propellants possess and release when ignited also means that solid motors and their chemical constituents need to be handled with the greatest care. The smallest spark can cause them to catch fire and even explode. ISRO has been able successfully to build and fly world class solid motors only by strictly adhering to safety systems and procedures. To make a solid motor, propellant is poured as a thick slurry into a casing. The propellant is then allowed to solidify, a process known as curing. According to ISRO, the accident at Sriharikota happened when, after curing, a team of nine persons was in the final stages of removing metal fixtures from the casing and the propellant inside inadvertently caught fire. As these post-curing operations are particularly hazardous, they are governed by detailed procedures, check-lists, and tight supervision.

ISRO's chairman, G. Madhavan Nair, has responded to the tragedy with commendable promptness by announcing the formation of a high-power committee to investigate the accident. The mandate of this committee will be to discover how and why the accident happened and, more importantly, make recommendations for improving safety systems and procedures. The investigation of last year's accident of the Space Shuttle Columbia has shown how a long series of successful launches can create complacency and allow safety standards to be relaxed. At a time when ISRO uses contract labour and is contemplating contracting out routine tasks, it could consider instituting periodic external safety audits. If the tragedy at Sriharikota leads to a safer work culture in ISRO, those men will not have died in vain.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Opinion