ISRO's 101st launch ends in failure due to PSLV rocket malfunction

In a rare and deeply disappointing setback for India's space program, the PSLV-C61 mission failed to deliver its payload — the EOS-09 earth observation satellite — into the intended orbit early Sunday morning. The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) reported that the rocket performed normally up to the second stage but encountered issues during the third.

The Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) is India’s most reliable rocket and has a celebrated history of successful missions. Sunday's failure marked only the third failure out of 63 PSLV launches, with the previous mishaps occurring in 1993 and 2017. This particular mission was also the 101st spaceflight by ISRO, adding weight to the emotional impact of its outcome.

In a brief statement, ISRO confirmed that the problem was observed in the third stage, leading to the deviation of the rocket's trajectory from its planned path. As per visuals and telemetry, altitude dropped below expected levels roughly six minutes after launch, coinciding with the third stage activation. After this anomaly, live coverage was abruptly halted, increasing speculation and concern.

The PSLV-C61 was flying in its XL configuration, which includes six solid boosters and has had an exceptional track record until now. This variant was undertaking its 27th mission and was considered highly reliable. Members of the parliamentary committee on science and technology were present at the Sriharikota spaceport to witness the launch, underlining the national importance of the mission.

Adding to concerns is the fact that this failure follows closely on the heels of ISRO’s 100th mission where the GSLV failed to place the NVS-02 satellite in the correct orbit. That satellite had to be salvaged by planning alternative operations despite being in an elliptical orbit. Both mishaps have occurred during the tenure of new ISRO chairman V Narayanan, prompting scrutiny and calls for reassessment.

Pawan Kumar Chandana, co-founder of Skyroot Aerospace and a former ISRO engineer, expressed his disappointment. “Heartbreaking to see a failure in PSLV today... it reminds us how complex and unforgiving spaceflight can be,” he said in a statement, reflecting the sentiments of many in India’s space community.