India’s latest satellite mission fails after PSLV-C61 launch vehicle suffers third-stage malfunction, derailing EOS-09 Earth observation satellite deployment.
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| ISRO’s EOS-09 satellite launch fails after PSLV-C61 suffers pressure loss in the third stage, ending the mission prematurely after takeoff from Sriharikota. Image: CH |
SRIHARIKOTA, INDIA — May 18, 2025:
India’s latest attempt to enhance its Earth observation capabilities ended in failure Sunday morning, as the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) confirmed that its EOS-09 satellite mission could not be completed due to a technical issue during flight. The setback occurred after the PSLV-C61 launch vehicle, carrying the satellite, encountered a malfunction in the third stage of its flight sequence shortly after liftoff from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, southern India.
V. Narayanan, director of ISRO, stated that “during the third stage, there was a fall in the chamber pressure of the motor case, and the mission could not be accomplished.” This pressure anomaly prevented the satellite from reaching its intended orbit, effectively rendering the mission unsuccessful.
The EOS-09 satellite was designed to enhance Earth observation capabilities for environmental monitoring, agriculture, and disaster management. The failure represents a rare but significant hurdle for ISRO, which has maintained a reputation for cost-effective and reliable missions in recent decades.
India has been an active player in space exploration since the 1960s, with ISRO building an impressive portfolio of achievements. These include launching satellites for over 30 countries and completing a successful mission to Mars in 2014. More recently, India made global headlines in 2023 by becoming the first country to land a spacecraft near the moon’s south pole—a landmark accomplishment that cemented its status as a rising space power.
Despite this latest failure, ISRO is expected to conduct a detailed investigation and take corrective actions for future missions. Experts note that space exploration inherently carries risks, and even established agencies like NASA and ESA have faced similar setbacks.
This mission’s failure follows a series of successful ventures by ISRO, and while it may temporarily delay some planned satellite deployments, the agency remains committed to its ambitious roadmap, including further lunar exploration, satellite navigation expansion, and manned spaceflight development under the Gaganyaan program.
As India continues to scale up its space capabilities, analysts suggest that this incident, while disappointing, is unlikely to derail the long-term momentum of ISRO’s globally respected space program.