Shaky start to India’s 2026 space odyssey: PSLV-C62 mission encounters ‘anomaly’ at end of PS3 stage

&quot;The PSLV-C62 mission encountered an anomaly during end of the PS3 stage. A detailed analysis has been initiated,&quot; India’s space agency ISRO announced shortly after liftoff. ISRO’s first launch of 2026 was the PSLV‑C62 / EOS‑N1 mission from Sriharikota on Monday at 10.17 am. The PSLV was carrying a heavy earth observation satellite and 15 co-passenger payloads.PSLV‑C62 was the 9th dedicated commercial mission of NewSpace India Limited (NSIL), which had built and arranged the launch of the EOS‑N1 earth observation satellite. ISRO Chief V Narayanan later announced that a deviation was observed in the vehicle flight path.This is the second consecutive PSLV mission where the ISRO encountered an issue with the rocket’s 3rd stage.&quot;The PSLV is a four-stage vehicle—the first stage is a solid motor with two strap-ons, the second stage is liquid, the third stage is solid, and the fourth stage is liquid,&quot; the ISRO chief explained. &quot;The performance of the vehicle close to the third stage was as expected and as predicted. However, near the end of the third stage, we observed some disturbance in the vehicle, and there was a deviation in its flight path. As a result, the mission could not proceed as expected. We are now analysing the data from all ground stations, and once the analysis is complete, we will come back to you.&quot;READ our explainer on the failure of the latest PSLV-C62 mission HERE.Back in May 2025, the PSLV‑C61 mission carrying the EOS‑09 radar satellite failed when its third stage showed a sudden drop in chamber pressure, preventing the rocket from reaching the planned orbit and resulting in the loss of the satellite. On Monday, the PSLV‑C62 flight—in a different configuration but again with a key earth‑observation satellite, EOS‑N1, plus 15 smaller commercial payloads—ran into trouble near the end of the third stage, when controllers detected abnormal “roll” motion and a deviation from the intended path; the satellites did not make it to their target orbit.These two failures in just eight months are a big setback because PSLV has been the backbone of India’s space programme, previously used to launch missions like Chandrayaan‑1 and the Mars Orbiter, with only two earlier failures since the early 1990s. Analysts say the repeated third‑stage problems point to possible deeper issues in solid‑motor design, manufacturing or quality control, and they are urging ISRO to conduct transparent, detailed investigations, share findings with the public, and involve more independent and private‑sector experts in testing.

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Shaky start to India’s 2026 space odyssey: PSLV-C62 mission encounters ‘anomaly’ at end of PS3 stage

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