Setback for ISRO as PSLV with 16 satellites veers off course

ISRO's Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle-C62 (PLSV-C62) rocket "encountered an anomaly" after the launch and deviated from its normal trajectory during the third stage on Monday.

A detailed analysis to find the reason for the deviation has been initiated by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO).

The rocket was carrying 16 satellites, including the primary payload, Earth Observation Satellite (EOS-N1), also known as Anvesha, developed by the Defence Research Development Organisation.

“The PSLV-C62 mission encountered an anomaly during the end of the PS3 stage. A detailed analysis has been initiated,” ISRO said.

“We attempted the PSLV-C62/EOS-N1 mission. The PSLV is a four-stage vehicle with two solid stages and two liquid stages. The performance of the vehicle up to the end of third stage was as expected, close to the end of the third stage, we saw a little more disturbance in the vehicle roll rates. Subsequently, there was a deviation in the flight path. We are analysing the data,” ISRO Chairman Dr V Narayanan said.

The other payloads were: Theos-2 earth observation satellite built jointly by Thailand and UK SSTL (UK), CGUSAT by Dhruva Space (India), DSUSAT by Dhruva Space, MOI-1 by Dhruva Space and Takeme2Space (India), LACHIT by Dhruva Space, Thybolt-3 by Dhruva Space and Don Bosco University (India), Munal by Nepal university Antharkshya Pratishtan (Nepal) and the MEA, KID by Orbital Paradigm (Spain) and RIDE! (France), Edusat by AlltoSpace (Brazil), Uaisat by AlltoSpace, Galaxy Explorer by AlltoSpace, Orbital Temple by AlltoSpace, Aldebaran-1 by AlltoSpace, Sanskarsat by Laxman Gyanpith (India) and AyulSat by OrbitAid (India).

On May 18, 2025, ISRO attempted to launch the EOS-09 satellite aboard the PSLV-C61 and the mission couldn't be accomplished due to anomalies in the third stage of the rocket. In the 64 missions PSLV has undertaken, only four missions have failed.

The PSLV-C62/EOS-N1 mission was the ninth dedicated commercial mission undertaken by NewSpace India Limited (NSIL) to build and launch the EOS-N1 earth observation satellite for a user, along with providing launch services for 15 co-passenger satellites from domestic & international customers.

The PSLV is called a "workhorse" because ISRO had had a series of successes with the rocket, including notable missions like Chandrayaan-1, Mars Orbiter Mission, Aditya-L1 and Astrosat Mission. In 2017, the PSLV had set a world record by launching 104 satellites in a single mission.