BENGALURU: An Indian rocket carrying 16 payloads, including an Earth observation satellite, went off track shortly after liftoff on Monday, marking another setback for the Indian Space Research Organisation’s (ISRO) workhorse launch vehicle, the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV).
The incident represents the second failure involving the PSLV in the past eight months, denting its long-standing reputation for reliability. The launch vehicle has historically maintained a success rate of over 90% across more than 60 missions.
The PSLV-C62 rocket lifted off from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota at 10:18 a.m. local time, carrying the EOS-N1 Earth observation satellite along with 15 additional payloads developed by startups and academic institutions from India and abroad.
According to ISRO’s mission control, the rocket performed normally through most phases of flight before experiencing an unexpected disturbance, which caused a deviation from its intended trajectory.
In an official statement, ISRO said: “The PSLV-C62 mission encountered an anomaly during the end of the PS3 stage. A detailed analysis has been initiated.”
The space agency did not provide further details regarding the nature of the malfunction or the final location of the rocket and its payloads.
The PSLV has played a central role in India’s space programme, having successfully launched landmark missions such as Chandrayaan-1, India’s first lunar mission, and the Aditya-L1 solar observatory. It has also been a key platform supporting India’s efforts to expand private-sector participation in space manufacturing and satellite launches.
The latest anomaly raises concerns as ISRO continues to position India as a competitive and reliable player in the global commercial launch market.