Mission objective:
- PSLV-C61 aimed to deploy Earth observation satellite EOS-09 into a sun synchronous polar orbit, 17 minutes post-lift-off.
- EOS-09 intended to support remote sensing applications with enhanced observation frequency, built on RISAT-1 heritage platform.
Relevance : GS 3(Space ,Science and Technology)
Failure details:
- The rocket lift-off was successful at 5:59 a.m. from Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikota.
- A technical glitch occurred during the third stage — a solid rocket motor — resulting in a drop in chamber pressure inside the motor casing.
- This pressure drop led to mission failure: the satellite was not placed into the intended orbit.
Stages performance:
- First and second stages performed normally.
- Third stage started perfectly but encountered anomalies mid-operation causing the mission to abort.
Context and history:
- PSLV-C61 was the 63rd flight of the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle and the 27th in the PSLV-XL variant.
- Since 2017, PSLV had an excellent success record after only two prior failures (1993’s first mission and 2017’s 41st flight).
- The recent failure follows a January 2025 incident where ISRO failed to raise orbit of NVS-02 satellite due to valve malfunction, highlighting ongoing technical challenges.
Technical challenges and response:
- The third-stage solid motor had a history of development difficulties and multiple failures, as highlighted by former ISRO Chairman S. Somanath.
- Despite unusual reappearance of issues, confidence remains high that the root cause will be identified and fixed promptly.
Implications:
- The failure underscores the technical complexity and risk inherent in space missions, especially in critical propulsion stages.
- It may cause delays in satellite data availability for operational uses like remote sensing.
- ISRO’s resilience and iterative problem-solving will be key to sustaining its launch success momentum.
Next steps:
- ISRO will conduct detailed analysis of the third-stage anomaly before resuming similar missions.
- Continued improvements in motor design and quality control are critical.
- Monitoring and learning from such failures contribute to overall strengthening of India’s space capabilities.
