In a setback to the country's space programme, the Indian Space Research Organisation's (ISRO) Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV-F02) failed immediately after lift-off from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre here, falling into the sea with the 2168-kg INSAT-4C, which was designed to provide direct-to-home (DTH) television services. | |
| Though the GSLV-F02 had a normal lift-off at 5.38 pm, it was found deviating from its orbit, and parts of the vehicle broke up in about 60 seconds. |
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| The failure means plans of several DTH broadcasting players have hit a roadblock. |
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| Though the blow to the DTH industry could not be estimated, the broadcasting industry believes it could delay the launch of Tata Sky and Sun TV's DTH platforms. |
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| Similarly, for existing broadcasters and DTH service providers planning to launch new channels and services, this could spell bad news. |
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