ISRO’s chief, V. Narayanan, explained the issue that caused a problem with its PSLV-C61 rocket. The mission faced a setback during the third stage.
On May 18, ISRO faced challenges during the launch of an Earth observation satellite using its PSLV-C61 rocket. Although the first two phases of the rocket’s launch went smoothly, there was an issue during the third phase that prevented the mission from being successful. ISRO’s chief, V Narayanan, explained that the problem was caused by a drop in pressure within a critical part of the rocket, which ultimately led to the mission’s failure.
“The PSLV-c61 mission faced a setback during the third stage due to a drop in chamber pressure, which impacted the fourth stage performance and led to mission loss… A national-level committee is investigating the cause… 2025 still remains a landmark year with Chandrayaan-4, Chandrayaan-5, and 3 uncrewed missions lined up… India’s space programme is moving steadily towards ensuring food, water, and power security while preparing for the country’s first human spaceflight by 2027,” ISRO Chief V Narayanan said in a statement.
ISRO’s PSLV-C61 EOS-09 mission
EOS-09 is a follow-up satellite to EOS-04, which was launched in 2022. Its primary mission is to provide reliable remote sensing data for users engaged in operational applications, while also increasing the frequency of observations.
Equipped with a Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) payload, this satellite can capture images for a variety of Earth observation purposes, operating effectively in all weather conditions, both day and night.
This capability for continuous, all-weather imaging is crucial for a range of applications, including agriculture and forestry monitoring, disaster response, urban planning, and national security.
The rocket was launched earlier as scheduled at 5:59 AM. According to data released by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), the separation of the first stage (PS1) was initially scheduled for 111.64 seconds after lift-off, but it actually occurred at 110 seconds.
Additionally, the ignition of the second stage was expected at 111.84 seconds, yet it took place slightly earlier at 110.2 seconds, resulting in a minor discrepancy. The separation of the second stage (PS2) was aimed for 264.34 seconds but happened a bit sooner, at 261.8 seconds.
While the mission was progressing as expected, as indicated by the regular updates from the scientists, a glitch arose after the rocket reached the third stage.
