PSLV-C62 Faces Anomaly, ISRO Analysing EOS-N1 Mission Outcome

India’s space agency ISRO faced an unexpected setback on Monday when its PSLV-C62 rocket encountered a technical disturbance during flight, raising uncertainty over the successful deployment of its satellites.

The Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV-C62) lifted off from the First Launch Pad at the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, carrying the EOS-N1 (Anvesha) Earth observation satellite along with 14 co-passenger satellites. However, minutes after launch, a disturbance was detected in the rocket’s third stage, causing it to deviate from its planned flight path.

Confirming the issue, ISRO said the mission had encountered an anomaly and that engineers are currently examining telemetry and flight data to determine what exactly went wrong and whether the satellites reached their intended orbit.

“Today, we had attempted the PSLV-C62 launch mission. We are analysing the data and shall come back to you,” ISRO said in a brief statement.

ISRO Chairman V. Narayanan explained that the disturbance in the third stage led to a deviation from the intended trajectory. He added that a detailed technical analysis is underway to assess the impact of the anomaly on the mission and the status of the payloads.

As of now, ISRO has not confirmed whether the EOS-N1 satellite and the 14 co-passenger satellites were successfully placed into their designated polar sun-synchronous orbit. Engineers are closely studying the telemetry data received from the launch vehicle to establish the condition and location of the spacecraft.

The PSLV-C62 mission was meant to be India’s first space launch of 2026 and marked the 64th flight of the trusted PSLV rocket. The launch carried added importance as it came after ISRO’s last PSLV mission in 2025 was aborted due to a technical observation during countdown.

Apart from the primary Earth observation satellite, the mission was also scheduled to deploy 14 domestic and international co-passenger satellites arranged through NewSpace India Limited, ISRO’s commercial arm. Additionally, the mission included an in-orbit demonstration of a small re-entry capsule developed by a Spanish startup.

ISRO said a comprehensive update will be shared once the full analysis of the anomaly and flight data is completed.

The outcome of the mission is now keenly awaited, as PSLV has long been considered the backbone of India’s satellite launch programme with a strong record of reliability.