Mazaj News (Web Story) An Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) rocket carrying 16 payloads, including an Earth observation satellite, veered off its intended trajectory shortly after launch on Monday, marking another setback for the agency’s most frequently used launch vehicle.
The incident represents the second failure involving the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) in roughly eight months, slightly undermining its long-standing reputation for reliability. The PSLV has achieved a success rate of over 90% across more than 60 missions.
The PSLV-C62 mission lifted off from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota at 10:18 a.m. local time (0448 GMT). On board were the EOS-N1 Earth surveillance satellite along with 15 additional payloads developed by Indian and international startups and academic institutions.
ISRO’s mission control confirmed that the rocket functioned normally for most of its flight before experiencing an unexpected disturbance that caused it to stray from its planned flight path.
In a statement, ISRO said the anomaly occurred toward the end of the PS3 stage of the mission and that a thorough investigation is underway. The space agency did not provide further information on the nature of the problem or the rocket’s final location.
The PSLV has played a pivotal role in India’s space programme, having launched key missions such as Chandrayaan-1 and the Aditya-L1 solar observatory. It also serves as a cornerstone of India’s efforts to expand private sector participation in space manufacturing and launch services.