ISRO's 101st Mission Failed to Accomplish Due to 3rd Stage Pressure Issue
ISRO chief said that a detailed assessment is underway and further information will be shared after a complete analysis of the telemetry data;
By : DC Correspondent
Update: 2025-05-18 01:09 GMT
Sriharikota: In a setback for India’s space programme, the PSLV-C61/EOS-09 mission launched by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) early Sunday morning failed to achieve its intended objective.
The launch, which took place at 5:59 a.m. from the First Launch Pad at the Satish Dhawan Space Centre, initially proceeded with textbook precision. The first and second stages of the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) functioned normally during the first 10 minutes after liftoff. However, proceedings took an unexpected turn when live visuals from the Mission Control Centre abruptly stopped, with screens at the media centre displaying a message that read: "Wait for further information."
Shortly afterwards, ISRO issued a statement confirming that while the mission had performed nominally up to the second stage, an anomaly had occurred in the third stage, resulting in mission failure. The third stage, known as the Solid Motor Stage, did ignite, but an unspecified issue followed, ISRO officials said.
Addressing the media, ISRO Chairman Dr. V. Narayanan said, “The first and second stages performed as expected. However, there was an anomaly following the ignition of the third stage, which led to the mission not being accomplished.” He added that a detailed assessment is underway and further information will be shared after a complete analysis of the telemetry data.
The EOS-09 satellite onboard the mission was intended to bolster India’s surveillance capabilities, particularly along the sensitive India-Pakistan border. Its deployment had assumed added significance in the wake of Operation Sindoor, a recent high-intensity counter-terror operation launched in response to the killing of civilians in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam region.
The failure came as a blow to the scientific community and the nation, which had been anticipating a successful outcome to the early morning launch. ISRO has assured that lessons from the anomaly will be thoroughly examined to strengthen future missions.
The launch, which took place at 5:59 a.m. from the First Launch Pad at the Satish Dhawan Space Centre, initially proceeded with textbook precision. The first and second stages of the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) functioned normally during the first 10 minutes after liftoff. However, proceedings took an unexpected turn when live visuals from the Mission Control Centre abruptly stopped, with screens at the media centre displaying a message that read: "Wait for further information."
Shortly afterwards, ISRO issued a statement confirming that while the mission had performed nominally up to the second stage, an anomaly had occurred in the third stage, resulting in mission failure. The third stage, known as the Solid Motor Stage, did ignite, but an unspecified issue followed, ISRO officials said.
Addressing the media, ISRO Chairman Dr. V. Narayanan said, “The first and second stages performed as expected. However, there was an anomaly following the ignition of the third stage, which led to the mission not being accomplished.” He added that a detailed assessment is underway and further information will be shared after a complete analysis of the telemetry data.
The EOS-09 satellite onboard the mission was intended to bolster India’s surveillance capabilities, particularly along the sensitive India-Pakistan border. Its deployment had assumed added significance in the wake of Operation Sindoor, a recent high-intensity counter-terror operation launched in response to the killing of civilians in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam region.
The failure came as a blow to the scientific community and the nation, which had been anticipating a successful outcome to the early morning launch. ISRO has assured that lessons from the anomaly will be thoroughly examined to strengthen future missions.