ISRO's PSLV-C62 Mission Faces Third-Stage Anomaly, Analysis Underway

The Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) rocket, which was intended to deploy the EOS-N1 Earth observation satellite and 15 co-passenger satellites into sun-synchronous orbit, launched at 10:17 am IST from the

First Launch Pad (FLP) at the Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikota.

Speaking to reporters after the launch, Narayanan stated that the mission faced a setback after a deviation was observed at the end of the third stage.

He added that the vehicle performed perfectly until the third stage, and the team is currently analysing ground data to understand the issue before providing further updates.

"We attempted the PSLV-C62 EOS-N1 mission. The PSLV is a four-stage vehicle - the first stage is a solid motor with two strap-ons, the second stage is liquid, the third stage is solid, and the fourth stage is liquid. The performance of the vehicle close to the third stage was as expected and as predicted," Narayanan said.

"However, near the end of the third stage, we observed some disturbance in the vehicle, and there was a deviation in its flight path. As a result, the mission could not proceed as expected. We are now analysing the data from all ground stations, and once the analysis is complete, we will come back to you," he added.

The PSLV-C61 mission, launched in May 2025, also faced a technical anomaly in the rocket's third stage, which prevented the mission from reaching its intended orbit.

The mission aimed to deploy the 1,696 kg EOS-09 Earth Observation Satellite into a 505 km Sun-Synchronous Polar Orbit.

Meanwhile, the PSLV-C62 mission, which marked the first launch of 2026, took off on the 64th flight of the PSLV.

The EOS-N1, also called the Anwesha, aimed to enhance India's remote sensing capabilities across agriculture, urban mapping, and environmental monitoring.

"The PSLV-C62 mission will also demonstrate KID or Kestrel Initial Technology Demonstrator from a Spanish startup, which is a small-scale prototype of a re-entry vehicle being developed by the startup," according to ISRO.

The PSLV-C62 / EOS-N1 Mission marked the 9th dedicated commercial mission undertaken by NewSpace India Limited (NSIL), the commercial arm of ISRO.

The launch was the fifth to use the PSLV-DL variant with two solid strap-on motors.

PSLV has completed 63 flights, including notable missions like Chandrayaan-1, Mars Orbiter Mission, Aditya-L1, and Astrosat Mission. In 2017, PSLV set a world record by launching 104 satellites in a single mission.

- IANS