Indian Rocket Launch Disrupted by Anomaly After Liftoff
An Indian rocket carrying 16 payloads of equipment and experiments, including an Earth observation satellite, veered off course shortly after liftoff on Monday, dealing another blow to the reliability of the Indian Space Research Organisation’s (ISRO) workhorse launch vehicle.
The incident marks the second setback for the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) in about eight months, denting its reputation for dependability after achieving a success rate of more than 90 percent across nearly 60 previous missions.
The PSLV-C62 lifted off from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre on Sriharikota island 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 in India and abroad. ISRO’s mission control said the rocket performed normally for most of the flight before experiencing an unexpected disturbance that caused it to deviate from its planned trajectory.
“The PSLV-C62 mission encountered an anomaly toward the end of the PS3 stage. A detailed analysis has been initiated,” ISRO said in a statement, without providing further details on the cause of the failure or the rocket’s final location.
The PSLV has been a cornerstone of India’s space program, having launched major missions such as Chandrayaan-1 and the Aditya-L1 solar observatory. It also plays a key role in India’s efforts to open its space sector to private industry and expand commercial space manufacturing.
