Mission Fails, Setback For Isro
PSLV-C62/EOS-N1 mission falls short of target orbit
Sriharikota: Isro suffered a setback on Monday after its workhorse PSLV rocket failed to place its payload of 18 satellites into the intended orbit. This is the second successive failure of the PSLV, but only the fourth in its service of nearly three decades.
The 44.4 metre tall Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) lifted off flawlessly at 10.18:30 am from the first launch pad at the Satish Dhawan Space Centre.
Scientists, engineers and spectators at the public viewing gallery broke into applause as the rocket rose smoothly into the sky, marking what initially appeared to be a perfect launch.
The mood changed during the final phase of the flight. In the closing moments of the third-stage (PS3) burn, mission control screens showed an unexpected deviation. The rocket’s altitude and speed dropped sharply, moving away from the planned flight path.
“A deep sense of sadness filled the control room,” a source said, as painful memories of past mission failures lingered.
All the satellites are feared to have been lost in space, marking a disappointing start to India’s space missions in 2026.
Confirming the anomaly, Isro chairman V. Narayanan said, “The rocket performed normally till the end of the third stage. After that, a disturbance in roll rates and a deviation in the flight path were noticed. We are analysing the data and will share more updates.”
The mission was carrying EOS-N1, an advanced Earth-observation satellite codenamed Anvesha, developed for strategic and surveillance purposes. Anvesha was expected to strengthen India’s capabilities in national security, environmental monitoring, and intelligence gathering. Along with it were 15 co-passenger satellites built by Indian start-ups and international partners from Nepal and Spain, many of them from Hyderabad.
This is the fourth failure in PSLV’s long journey since its first flight in 1993. The maiden mission had failed, followed by the PSLV-C39/IRNSS-1H failure in 2017 due to heat shield separation issues, and the PSLV-C61/EOS-09 mission in May 2025, which failed after a sudden drop in third-stage chamber pressure.
Despite the setback, PSLV remains one of the world’s most reliable launch vehicles, with only four failures over more than three decades of service. PSLV-C62 is the 64th flight of PSLV and 5th Mission of PSLV-DL variant. The Mission is the 105th launch from Sriharikota.
Isro scientists have begun a detailed investigation to identify the cause of the anomaly.
PSLV-C62 rocket deviates from flight path: ISRO chief V Narayanan
The PSLV-C62 mission encountered an anomaly during end of the PS3 stage. A detailed analysis has been initiated.
After the separation of all the satellites, scientists would restart the fourth stage (PS4) of the rocket to de-boost and enter a re-entry trajectory for the separation of the last satellite, the Kestrel Initial Technology Demonstrator (KID) capsule.
The high-energy solid third stage has successfully finished its firing and detached from the vehicle. This critical phase, closely monitored by mission engineers, has been executed flawlessly
Telemetry data shows that the two solid strap-on boosters have completed their burn and successfully detached from the launch vehicle. The central core stage has now taken over propulsion, accelerating the rocket through the upper layers of the atmosphere at supersonic velocity.