Missile nervousness?
Posted on April 19, 2012
It is about an hour to Agni-5"²s first launch. What was the reason for the delay of some 11 hours? Last minute glitches in the launch preparations are a possibility. As likely a reason is the sheer nervousness of the DRDO launch authority about the media circus the much publicized launch has become and the imperative, therefore, to ensure that the launch happens without incident, and the missile maintains its designated trajectory — the test of the advanced guidance technologies on-board. The need to alert international shipping and otherwise clear the sea zone for the Agni splash down in the Indian Ocean required adequate notice to be given, of course. So the launch could not be done on the silent, like the underground nuclear weapons tests, with success or failure becoming apparent only after the event. Even so, why did Dr V Saraswat, DRDO boss, have to make such a media occasion of it, raise expectations, and set itself and the country for a possible failure? Though, in all likelihood, failure won't happen.
