DC Edit | Isro Must Probe PSLV Failure

The failure of Isro’s 64th mission of the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV-C62) on Monday is an unwelcome moment for India’s space programme, which has long been associated with precision and reliability. However, the launch vehicle that has been regarded as Isro’s workhorse had failed two times consecutively, inviting an inevitable scrutiny.

After the launch on January 12, a deviation was detected during the rocket’s third stage after the liftoff from Satish Dhawan Space Centre. In May 2025 also, the rocket failed during the third stage. Rockets are complex systems where a minor anomaly can cascade into mission loss. The failures are not unknown in space odyssey.

Every country — the United States, the former Soviet Union and present-day Russia, China, and the European Space Agency — had its share of consecutive failures. Comparatively, PSLV’s overall failure rate remains relatively low, especially when judged against decades of global launch data. However, credibility comes from how quickly and transparently space agencies diagnose problems and restore confidence.

Isro must therefore set the record straight through a time-bound investigation. Transparency is essential for maintaining domestic and international confidence in India’s launch services at a time when competition in the commercial space market from space companies like SpaceX is intensifying.

The failure of the launch will delay the country’s ability to get another eye in the sky through hyperspectral remote sensing captures. It will also disappoint young space enthusiasts from Blue Blocks Montessori School, Hyderabad, and Laxman Gyanpith School, Ahmedabad.

If the PSLV was successful in its mission, it would have given a huge filip to the space ambitions of these youngsters. Isro should not allow the fame of curiosity and industry among the youngsters to extinguish. The space agency should actively handhold these teams, and turn a setback into a learning milestone.