A rocket carrying an

Television images showed the rocket exploding in smoke and fire just after it launched from the Sriharikota space center in Andhra Pradesh state. It was carrying a GSAT-5P communication satellite into orbit.

The vehicle developed an error 47 seconds after liftoff and lost command, leading to a higher angle in the flight, said K. Radhakrishnan, chairman of the Indian Space Research Organization.

"That caused a higher stress, breaking up the vehicle," Radhakrishnan told reporters.

In April, a similar rocket on a developmental flight plunged into the Bay of Bengal. The ISRO said its rotor seized and turbine casing ruptured, probably due to excessive pressure and thermal stresses.