ISRO's PSLV-C62 Mission Faces Setback: What Went Wrong?
Mission Failure at Sriharikota
Sriharikota: The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) reported that its PSLV-C62 rocket, which was tasked with launching 16 satellites including a foreign Earth Observation satellite, encountered a significant anomaly, leading to the mission's failure.
During the third stage of the flight, disturbances were detected in the rocket, causing it to deviate from its intended flight path as the strap-on motors were providing thrust. V Narayanan, the chairman of ISRO, stated that a thorough investigation is underway to determine the cause of the malfunction.
Unfortunately, the mission did not succeed in placing the satellites into their designated orbit, resulting in the loss of all 16 satellites, marking the second consecutive failure of a PSLV mission during the third stage.
A previous attempt in May 2025 (PSLV-C61-EOS-09) also failed due to issues with motor pressure, which affected the chamber pressure of the motor case.
A former senior ISRO scientist mentioned that it will take time for the agency to gather data, analyze the situation, and implement necessary corrections. He anticipated that ISRO would release official findings soon, emphasizing that this setback means the satellites are likely drifting as space debris.
The countdown for the mission concluded successfully, and the 44.4-meter tall rocket launched as planned at 10:18 AM from the spaceport. The objective was to deploy a primary Earth Observation satellite along with several co-passenger satellites into a 512 km Sun-Synchronous Orbit after approximately 17 minutes of flight.
The automatic launch sequence was initiated following the mission director's approval, and ISRO scientists provided real-time updates during the ascent. The initial phases of the flight went according to plan.
However, after the announcement of the third stage ignition, a tense atmosphere enveloped the Mission Control Centre. Narayanan explained that the PSLV is a four-stage vehicle comprising two solid and two liquid stages, and while the vehicle's performance was expected to be stable until the end of the third stage, disturbances were noted close to its conclusion, leading to a deviation in the flight path.
ISRO confirmed the mission's failure via its social media account, stating that the PSLV-C62 mission faced an anomaly during the third stage. A detailed analysis has commenced, but further specifics were not disclosed.
In a brief press conference, Narayanan, who also serves as the Secretary of the Department of Space, stated, "As you all know, we attempted the PSLV-C62EOS-N1 mission today... the mission did not follow the expected flight path. That is the information available at this moment."
He added that they are reviewing the data collected from all ground stations and will provide updates once the analysis is complete.
Following the previous PSLV-C61 mission failure last year, former ISRO Chairman S Somanath acknowledged the significant challenges encountered during the development of the third-stage solid motor, which had faced multiple setbacks. He remarked, "Failure is never defeat, but rather a formidable tutor."