India Faces Setback as PSLV-C61 Rocket Mission Fails to Launch EOS-09 Satellite
Sriharikota:India’s space aspirations took a hit early on Sunday when the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV-C61), carrying the EOS-09 satellite, failed to complete its mission due to a technical malfunction. The rocket was launched from the Satish Dhawan Space Center in Sriharikota at 5:59 AM but encountered a failure just minutes into the flight.
According to initial reports, the problem occurred with the third stage rocket motor, which uses Hydroxyl-Terminated Polybutadiene (HTPB) fuel. The motor failed to function correctly 203 seconds after launch, preventing the EOS-09 satellite from reaching its designated 524-kilometer sun-synchronous polar orbit.
In response, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) terminated the mission as part of its field termination procedure and destroyed both the rocket’s fourth stage and the satellite. The EOS-09 satellite, weighing 1696 kilograms, was intended to enhance India’s border surveillance and disaster management capabilities by providing weather-independent images via C-band Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR).
This failure marks the third complete failure in the PSLV program’s history, out of a total of 63 missions. Following the malfunction, ISRO engineers have initiated a thorough analysis of the data to determine whether the issue stemmed from a fuel flow problem, nozzle complications, or structural failure.
As a result of this setback, India’s plans for establishing a 52-satellite surveillance network will be delayed, affecting the country’s future space-based monitoring and communication capabilities.
This failure comes at a critical time for India, which has been rapidly advancing its space ambitions, including improving its military and civilian satellite infrastructure. Despite the setback, ISRO is expected to continue its efforts to investigate the failure and ensure the success of future missions.
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