ISRO’s PSLV-C61 Fails to Reach Orbit

New Delhi : India’s premier space agency ISRO faced a rare setback with its PSLV-C61 mission, which failed to place the EOS-09 satellite in its designated orbit due to a technical glitch. The launch, which took place from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, was initially smooth, but an issue in the third stage of the rocket led to a drop in pressure, ultimately preventing the satellite from reaching its intended orbit.

According to preliminary analysis shared by ISRO, the anomaly was detected during the third stage of flight when pressure levels did not meet the expected thresholds. This resulted in an incomplete orbital injection for the EOS-09 Earth observation satellite. While the initial stages performed nominally, the pressure drop significantly impacted the final trajectory required to deploy the satellite accurately. The PSLV (Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle) is regarded as ISRO’s workhorse and has been one of the most reliable launch vehicles globally, with an excellent track record of successful missions. However, experts point out that even with such dependability, space missions inherently carry technical risks. This particular mission failure has drawn attention, given the significance of the EOS-09 satellite, which was meant to support high-resolution Earth imaging.

ISRO officials have stated that a full technical investigation is already underway to determine the root cause of the anomaly. A comprehensive failure analysis report will be published in the coming days. Engineers and mission scientists are reviewing flight data to identify exactly where and why the third stage pressure fell below the required level. Despite the mission’s failure, ISRO emphasized that each setback is an opportunity to learn and improve. The agency is expected to make necessary corrections in future PSLV missions based on the findings from this analysis. ISRO’s commitment to pushing the boundaries of space science remains undeterred, and future missions are already scheduled for later this year. This incident serves as a reminder of the challenges involved in space exploration. While ISRO has celebrated several high-profile successes in recent years, including Chandrayaan-3 and Aditya-L1, occasional setbacks are part of the journey in achieving scientific excellence.