In a significant setback for India's space program, the Indian Space Research Organisation's (ISRO) PSLV-C62 rocket mission ended in failure on Thursday, resulting in the loss of all 16 satellites it was carrying. The mission encountered a serious anomaly during the flight of the rocket's third stage, causing a deviation from the intended path and preventing the satellites from reaching their planned orbit.
The Mission and the Moment of Failure
The 44.4-meter tall, four-stage Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) lifted off precisely as scheduled at 10:18 am from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota. The launch followed a smooth 22.5-hour countdown and received final approval from the mission director. The primary objective was to deploy a key Earth Observation satellite along with 15 co-passenger payloads into a Sun-Synchronous Orbit at an altitude of 512 kilometers.
Initial flight updates from ISRO scientists indicated that the early phases of the ascent were proceeding nominally. However, tension gripped the Mission Control Centre shortly after the announcement confirming the ignition of the vehicle's third stage. An uneasy silence fell as real-time telemetry data began showing irregularities.
Official Confirmation and Analysis
ISRO Chairman and Secretary of the Department of Space, V Narayanan, addressed the team at the control centre and later held a brief press conference to confirm the mission's failure. He explained that the vehicle performed as expected until near the end of the third stage. "Close to the end of the third stage we are seeing more disturbance in the vehicle and subsequently, there was a deviation observed in the flight path," Narayanan stated.
The anomaly occurred while the strap-on motors were providing thrust during this critical phase, which is designed to propel the rocket to its target altitude. Narayanan confirmed that the mission could not proceed along the expected trajectory, leading to the complete loss of the satellite payload. He assured that a detailed analysis using data from all ground stations has been initiated to pinpoint the exact cause of the failure.
A Troubling Pattern for PSLV
This incident marks the second consecutive failure for the PSLV launch vehicle, which has historically been one of ISRO's most reliable workhorses. A similar mission, PSLV-C61/EOS-09 in May 2025, also did not achieve its objectives. This back-to-back failure raises concerns and will undoubtedly lead to a comprehensive review of the vehicle's systems and processes.
ISRO officially announced the mission's failure on its social media platform 'X', stating succinctly: "The PSLV-C62 mission encountered an anomaly during the end of PS3 (third stage) of the vehicle. A detailed analysis has been initiated." The agency has not yet released further technical specifics, pending the outcome of the ongoing investigation.
The loss includes a foreign Earth Observation satellite, underscoring the international implications of the launch failure. The space community now awaits ISRO's findings from the data review, which will be crucial for restoring confidence and ensuring the success of future missions.
