Tragedy at Sriharikota

At a time when the nation8217;s imagination has been ignited by visions of Chandrayaan-I 8212; a trip to the moon 8212; Monday8217;s fire at the Solid Propellant Rocket Booster Plant SPROB at the Satish Dawan Space Centre in Sriharikota has come as a major embarrassment. The loss of life and the massive destruction to the infrastructure have cast a pall of gloom over the space centre and the scientific community and may push back the schedules of some of the launches slated for the next couple of years.

The fire is also likely to lead to a fierce debate over whether India has the expertise to handle the highly explosive hydroxyl-terminated poly butadiene fuel propellant. While India has been boasting of a major manpower pool, key organisations like space and defence would have to look more critically at the quality of manpower in the frontier areas. The propellant that caught fire is the same that is used by the Indian Space Research Organisation ISRO to power the launch of the highly acclaimed SLV, PSLV and GSLV series. But what needs to be done on an urgent basis is to get to the root cause of the fire and corrective steps put in place. An investigation into the causes of the fire has been launched, but its outcome must not be shrouded in secrecy. What can be revealed must be made public in the true spirit of scientific inquiry. The nation has the right to know what went wrong and that necessary steps are being taken to ensure that such tragedies do not recur. India has one of the brightest records in space. The remote sensing satellite series 8212; often called the nation8217;s eyes in the sky 8212; have done remarkable work in improving the daily lives of millions. The Insat series have put the nation on a new pedestal in communication networking and television broadcasting. All these are glories that a fire cannot destroy. But a mishap is a mishap and ISRO obviously has important lessons to learn.

Manufacturing fuel propellants for launch vehicles is just one part of the complex story 8212; especially in the light of international sanctions. Curing, transportation and storing, too, need expertise and utmost care. This is one important lesson that ISRO will be learning in what may be called a baptism by fire in space science. The fire also comes just days after ISRO had to go through another embarrassment 8212; the theft of 29 titanium alloy rings from the Liquid Propulsion System Centre at Thippasandra in Bangalore. These rings, used in satellite propulsion, were ultimately traced to scrap dealers. The incident raises serious doubts about the security regime of such sensitive zones. ISRO will have to do some serious introspection on this count too and launch a high-level probe into the heart of its network of operations before it can dare look at the moon with any degree of confidence. At the same time, it needs to be reiterated that this fire must not destroy the spirit. India8217;s space odyssey in the 21st century must carry on apace.