India’s first space mission of 2026 ended without reaching its intended orbit after ISRO’s PSLV-C62 rocket faced an anomaly linked to its third stage, leading to the loss of 16 satellites. The mission is being treated as a major setback because it follows another PSLV failure in May 2025, with both incidents involving the rocket’s third stage.
ISRO said the PSLV-C62 mission encountered an anomaly near the end of PS3, the vehicle’s third stage, and that a detailed analysis has been initiated. ISRO chairman V. Narayanan said the rocket performed as expected up to near the end of the third stage, after which engineers observed increased disturbance and a deviation in the flight path, and that the team is analyzing the data.
What happened during the flight
The PSLV-C62 lifted off from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota at about 10:18 a.m. on Monday. Spaceflight Now reported that the third-stage engine ignited about 264 seconds into the mission and that, a little over 100 seconds later, visuals and graphics during the broadcast indicated the vehicle began spinning while the third stage appeared to still be firing.
Spaceflight Now also reported that third-stage burnout was called at about 396 seconds after liftoff, and that mission graphics indicated subsequent events such as PS3 separation and PS4 engine start timings, while an onboard camera view shown in the launch control center appeared to show the vehicle tumbling. Indian Express reported that about nine minutes after liftoff—after the first two stages completed successfully—the rocket began to deviate from its intended trajectory during a phase when a major increase in velocity is expected.
Payloads lost on PSLV-C62
Indian Express said PSLV-C62 was carrying EOS-N1, described as an earth observation satellite, along with 15 other payloads, and that all payloads were lost. Spaceflight Now described the main payload as an Earth observation satellite from NewSpace India Limited (NSIL), along with 15 rideshare payloads.
NDTV reported that the rocket carried EOS-N1 and a cluster of commercial payloads, and also described an “ambitious manifest” that included a hyperspectral surveillance satellite dubbed Anvesha and a Kestrel Initial Technology Demonstrator (KID) capsule slated for re-entry, among other items. Indian Express said the payload set included satellites from multiple countries, including payloads from Brazil and Nepal, and also mentioned a payload from the United Kingdom.
Second consecutive PSLV failure
Indian Express reported that this was the second successive PSLV failure, noting that the last PSLV flight in May 2025—carrying EOS-09—also failed, and that in both cases the issue arose during the third stage when the rocket was attempting to achieve orbit. Spaceflight Now similarly described PSLV-C62 as the second consecutive failure for the PSLV and said both anomalies affected the third stage, adding that the previous PSLV flight (C61) in May 2025 also had a third-stage issue.
On the May 2025 failure, Indian Express reported that it had been attributed to an unexpected drop in pressure in the third-stage engine’s combustion chamber. NDTV also described the PSLV as a long-running “workhorse” rocket and said the deviation on Monday followed “disturbances” near the end of the third stage.
Reactions and what comes next
ISRO has said it is conducting a detailed analysis to determine what caused the anomaly. NDTV reported that ISRO confirmed the anomaly less than half an hour after launch and that the space community had now faced two PSLV flights in a row with a post-mortem process.
NDTV also reported a range of reactions, including comments from private-sector space companies expressing confidence that ISRO will learn and return to flight, while also noting that some voices raised suspicions about repeated failures involving strategic payloads, alongside cautions against drawing conclusions without evidence. Indian Express reported that the setback could affect ISRO’s near-term launch schedule, noting plans for multiple launches in the first quarter and stating that Monday’s failure could force a revision.
