India's newest communications satellite and the nation's largest rocket were both destroyed during a dramatic failure just moments after lifting off today. The vehicle crashed into the Bay of Bengal a few miles offshore of the launch site after disintegrating in mid-air.

The INSAT 4C satellite lifted off into cloudy skies shrouded atop a Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle at 1208 GMT (8:08 a.m. EDT), or in the late afternoon at the Satish Dhawan Space Center on the island of Sriharikota on India's east coast.

Problems with the flight began soon after the launch, according to Indian news reports. The rocket began straying from the planned trajectory and officials then declared an emergency. The remnants of the GSLV and its payload plummeted into the Bay of Bengal. read more...