Sriharikota: The Indian Space Research Organisation’s (ISRO) ambitious 101st satellite launch suffered a setback on Sunday after the PSLV-C61 mission carrying Earth Observation Satellite EOS-09 failed to reach its intended orbit.
Launched from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre, the PSLV-C61 rocket lifted off successfully and performed normally through the first two stages. However, a technical anomaly during the third stage ultimately led to mission failure, ISRO confirmed.
“PSLV-C61 performance was normal till second stage. Due to an observation in the third stage, the mission could not be accomplished,” the agency stated in a post on X. ISRO Chairman S. Somanath echoed the message, saying, “We will come back after analysis.”
Today 101st launch was attempted, PSLV-C61 performance was normal till 2nd stage. Due to an observation in 3rd stage, the mission could not be accomplished.
— ISRO (@isro) May 18, 2025
EOS-09, the payload of this mission, was designed as a state-of-the-art Earth observation satellite equipped with C-band synthetic aperture radar (SAR) capable of capturing high-resolution images in all weather conditions. It was intended to enhance India’s capabilities in areas such as environmental monitoring, disaster management, and national security surveillance.
The mission marked the 63rd flight of ISRO’s reliable PSLV series and the 27th using its extended XL configuration. Before this attempt, the PSLV had clocked 100 successful launches, reinforcing its reputation for reliability.
Despite the setback, ISRO remains committed to its roadmap of advancing India’s space technology. An official analysis is expected to identify the root cause of the anomaly and guide corrective actions for upcoming missions.
