How ISRO Averted A Potential Space Disaster
The timely detection of a "crack in an oxidiser line" in the first stage of the Falcon-9 rocket, which will take four astronauts, including India's Shubhanshu Shukla, to the International Space Station, averted a major disaster. The fault was observed following a demand for due diligence from the Indian Space Research Organisation Chairman, Dr V Narayanan. Despite admitting to a fuel leak, the SpaceX team decided to launch the ailing rocket on June 11. However, after learning of the "leak", ISRO chief, Dr Narayanan, strongly disagreed with the decision and demanded full correction, with validation by proper tests, including low-temperature leak tests. His insistence on due diligence to rectify the leak forced the SpaceX team to call off the launch on June 11.
