India's Space Mission Falters as PSLV Rocket Fails Second Time
India's space ambitions faced a significant setback on Monday when the country's workhorse PSLV rocket failed during its first mission of 2026. The failure occurred during the critical third stage of the launch, resulting in the loss of all sixteen satellites onboard. This marks the second consecutive failure for the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle, raising serious concerns about India's space program reliability.
Technical Glitch Strikes During Critical Phase
The mission began with apparent success as the 44.4-meter tall PSLV lifted off from Sriharikota's first launch pad at 10:18 AM. The rocket, flying in its dual strap-on configuration, rose smoothly into the morning sky. However, approximately eight minutes and forty seconds into the flight, between the third stage shut-off and fourth stage ignition, something went critically wrong.
ISRO Chairman V Narayanan confirmed the mission failure shortly after the incident. He explained that towards the end of the third stage, controllers observed unusual disturbances in the vehicle's roll rates. This was followed by a deviation in the planned flight path. The space agency is currently analyzing all available data to determine the exact cause of the failure.
Strategic Military Satellite Among Lost Payloads
The primary payload was EOS-N1, codenamed Anvesha, a sophisticated DRDO satellite designed to enhance India's military surveillance capabilities. This satellite featured a hyperspectral imaging payload that would have provided the Indian armed forces with significantly sharper observation capabilities from space. Its loss represents a major strategic setback for India's defense preparedness.
This failure comes just nine months after a similar incident involving the same third stage of another PSLV rocket. That previous failure, designated PSLV-C61, occurred on May 18, 2025, and prevented the EOS-09 strategic satellite from reaching its intended orbit. ISRO has yet to release the failure analysis report from that earlier mission, adding to concerns about recurring technical issues.
International and Commercial Implications
The failed rocket carried significant international and commercial payloads beyond the military satellite. Among the lost spacecraft was Munal, a satellite for Nepal that represented an important diplomatic collaboration. Also destroyed was AyulSat, a technology demonstrator from Indian startup OrbitAID that aimed to advance on-orbit refuelling capabilities.
AyulSat was particularly significant because it would have demonstrated internal fuel transfer technology. The satellite was designed to later serve as a target for OrbitAID's chaser satellite, planned for launch approximately six months later. This dual-satellite system would have positioned India closer to testing complete on-orbit refuelling technology, an area where China currently holds exclusive capability.
OrbitAID founder and CEO Sakthikumar R expressed disappointment about the setback. He revealed that the company must now launch both target and chaser satellites together later this year, altering their original development timeline significantly.
Broader Payload Loss and Program Concerns
The rocket carried additional international satellites from the United Kingdom, Brazil, Thailand, and Spain. Several Indian startup payloads were also lost, including demonstrations of:
- Artificial intelligence processing in orbit
- Store-and-forward communication systems
- Internet of Things services
- Radiation measurement technology
- Agricultural data collection systems
- A re-entry capsule for deployment after PS4 stage restart and deorbit
This failure represents the third launch setback for ISRO since January 2025. Earlier, the GSLV-F15 mission failed to place the NVS-02 navigation satellite into geostationary orbit due to a propulsion system malfunction. The consecutive PSLV failures now raise urgent questions about quality control and technical reliability in India's space program.
The space agency faces mounting pressure to identify and resolve the recurring issues with its launch vehicles, particularly as India seeks to expand its commercial space offerings and maintain strategic space capabilities. The loss of multiple international payloads may also impact India's growing reputation as a reliable launch service provider in the global space market.
