ISRO’s PSLV-C61 Faces Glitch After Third Stage, Investigation Underway

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) encountered a technical issue during the launch of its 101st mission, PSLV-C61. The PSLV-C61 rocket, launched with high expectations, experienced a problem after the third stage of its flight. ISRO scientists are currently reviewing the mission and analyzing the data to understand the cause of the issue.

The launch took place at 5:59 AM on Sunday from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota. While the rocket initially lifted off successfully, a technical anomaly was observed shortly after the launch. The mission is not yet considered complete due to this issue. ISRO Chairman S. Somanath Narayanan stated, “We will provide complete details after thoroughly analyzing the situation.”

The PSLV-C61 mission was intended to deploy the next-generation Earth Observation Satellite EOS-09 (also known as RISAT-1B), which weighs 1,696.24 kilograms. The satellite has an intended operational lifespan of five years and is designed to capture high-resolution images of the Earth’s surface in all weather conditions.

EOS-09 is expected to support various applications including national security, agriculture, forest monitoring, disaster management, and urban planning by providing round-the-clock imaging capabilities. With its ability to offer real-time coverage across the country, EOS-09 is set to join India’s constellation of Earth observation satellites.

This satellite is a successor to the RISAT-1 mission and will operate similarly to satellites in the Resourcesat, Cartosat, and RISAT-2B series, collecting and transmitting data back to Earth. EOS-09 was developed by ISRO as a replacement for the EOS-04 satellite, which was launched in 2022.