New Delhi (IANS): India’s latest space mission, PSLV-C62, encountered a technical anomaly during the third stage of flight, prompting the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) to initiate a detailed post-launch analysis, ISRO Chairman V. Narayanan said on Sunday.
The Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) lifted off at 10:17 am IST from the First Launch Pad at Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, marking the first Indian space launch of 2026 and the 64th flight of the PSLV programme. The launch was meant to enhance India’s remote sensing capabilities across agriculture, urban mapping, and environmental monitoring.
Addressing the media after the launch, Narayanan said the rocket performed as expected through the initial phases, but a deviation was detected towards the end of the third stage, preventing the mission from proceeding as planned.
“The vehicle functioned normally up to the third stage. However, near the end of that phase, a disturbance was observed, and the flight path deviated. We are analysing data from all ground stations and will share further updates once the assessment is complete,” he said.
The PSLV is a four-stage launch vehicle, comprising alternating solid and liquid propulsion stages. According to ISRO, all systems performed nominally until the observed disturbance in the solid-fuelled third stage.
The mission was intended to place the EOS-N1 (Anwesha) Earth observation satellite, along with 15 co-passenger satellites, into a 505-km Sun-Synchronous Polar Orbit. EOS-N1, weighing 1,696 kg, was designed to strengthen India’s remote-sensing capabilities in areas such as agriculture, urban planning, and environmental monitoring.
ISRO noted that the mission also planned to demonstrate the Kestrel Initial Technology Demonstrator (KID), a small re-entry vehicle prototype developed by a Spanish startup.
PSLV-C62 was the ninth dedicated commercial mission undertaken by NewSpace India Limited, and the fifth flight of the PSLV-DL variant, which uses two solid strap-on motors.
A similar issue was reported during the PSLV-C61 mission in May 2025, which also experienced a third-stage anomaly that affected orbital insertion.
Despite the setback, PSLV remains one of the world’s most reliable launch vehicles, having completed 63 successful missions to date, including landmark projects such as Chandrayaan-1, Mars Orbiter Mission, Aditya-L1, and AstroSat. In 2017, PSLV created history by deploying 104 satellites in a single mission, a global record.
ISRO officials said a comprehensive failure analysis is underway, and corrective actions will be taken to ensure mission reliability in upcoming launches.
