clock for the next ten days, our scientists had the missile
ready for launch on 1 May 1989. But, again, during the
automatic computer checkout period at T10 seconds, a
Hold signal was indicated. A closer inspection showed that
one of the control components, S1-TVC was not working
according to the mission requirements. The launch had to
be postponed yet again. Now, such things are very
common in rocketry and quite often happen in other
countries too. But the expectant nation was in no mood to
appreciate our difficulties. The Hindu carried a cartoon by
Keshav showing a villager counting some currency notes
and commenting to another, “Yes, it’s the compensation for
moving away from my hut near the test site—a few more
postponements and I can build a house of my own...”.
Another cartoonist designated Agni as “ IDBM—
Intermittently Delayed Ballistic Missile.” Amul’s cartoon
suggested that what Agni needed to do was use their butter
as fuel!
I took some time off, leaving my team at ITR to talk to
the DRDLRCI community. The entire DRDL-RCI community
assembled after working hours on 8 May 1989. I
addressed the gathering of more than 2,000 persons, “Very
rarely is a laboratory or an R&D establishment given an
opportunity to be the first in the country to develop a system
such as Agni. A great opportunity has been given to us.
Naturally major opportunities are accompanied by equally
major challenges. We should not give up and we should not
allow the problem to defeat us. The country doesn’t deserve
anything less than success from us. Let us aim for
success”. I had almost completed my address, when I found
myself telling my people, “I promise you, we will be back
after successfully launching Agni before the end of this
month.”
Detailed analysis of the component failure during the
second attempt led to the refurbishment of the control
system. This task was entrusted to a DRDO-ISRO team.
The team carried out the rectification of the first stage
control system at the Liquid Propellant System Complex
(LPSC) of ISRO and completed the task in record time with
tremendous concentration and will-power. It was nothing
short of amazing how hundreds of scientists and staff
worked continuously and completed the system readiness
with acceptance tests in just 10 days. The aircraft took off
from Trivandrum with the rectified control systems and
landed close to ITR on the eleventh day. But now it was the
turn of hostile weather conditions to impede us. A cyclone
threat was looming large. All the work centres were
connected through satellite communication and HF links.
Meteorological data started flowing in at ten-minute
intervals.
Finally, the launch was scheduled for 22 May 1989. The
previous night, Dr Arunachalam, Gen KN Singh and I were
walking together with the Defence Minister KC Pant, who
had come to ITR to witness the launch. It was a full-moon
night, it was high tide and the waves crashed and roared,
as if singing of His glory and power. Would we succeed
with the Agni launch tomorrow? This question was foremost
in all our minds, but none of us was willing to break the spell
cast by the beautiful moonlit night. Breaking a long silence,
the Defence Minister finally asked me, “Kalam! what would
you like me to do to celebrate the Agni success tomorrow?”
It was a simple question, to which I could not think of an
answer immediately. What did I want? What was it that I did
not have? What could make me happier? And then I found
the answer. “We need 100,000 saplings to plant at RCI,” I