CHENNAI : "A false alarm created the problem" which led to the stopping of the full-duration cryogenic stage test soon after it began on January 19 at the Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre (LPSC) at Mahendragiri, near Nagercoil in Tamil Nadu, according to the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) officials.

Two sensors monitoring the pressure and temperature of the liquid hydrogen passage of the thrust chamber in the cryogenic engine malfunctioned and gave "fictitious readings" because they were in the open mode, they said. (The sensors should have been in the closed mode). They described it as "a minor problem" and are confident that the long-duration test for 720 seconds would be conducted in two weeks. "One thing is very certain. There is no problem with the system.

From the results, it looks [certain] that the system has absolutely no problem," they said.

Asked whether it was a false alarm, G. Madhavan Nair, the ISRO Chairman, said, "Yes. It is a false alarm. It happens. It has nothing to do with the hardware or the stage." On whether the sensors malfunctioned, he said, "They do malfunction. There is nothing unusual about it. We had to be extremely careful and we stopped the test." The system would soon be cleaned up and a full-duration test conducted soon, he said.

The ISRO is getting ready for the recovery of the Space Capsule Recovery Experiment (SRE) on Monday morning.

The SRE is a recoverable satellite that was put in orbit by ISRO's Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV-C7) that lifted off from Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh on January 10.

``This is the first time that the ISRO is attempting to recover a satellite put in orbit. The SRE is scheduled to splash down in the Bay of Bengal, 140 km east of Sriharikota, and the Coast Guard personnel will recover it. The SRE weighs 555 kg. Its two payloads are being used to perform experiments in micro-gravity," he said.

Inspector-General Rajendra Singh, Commander, Coast Guard Region (east), said the Coast Guard vessel "Sarang" would help in the recovery of the SRE. It would carry Coast Guard personnel including divers and 16 ISRO scientists and engineers. The "Sarang" would have a helicopter on board. A Dornier aircraft would be flying above. Mr. Singh said the SRE was expected to splash down in the sea, about 70 nautical miles from the Chennai coast, around 10.30 a.m. "It will then be recovered and brought to the Ennore port," he added.

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