ISRO Aborts First Launch of 2026 After PSLV-62 Anomaly
The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) was forced to halt its first satellite launch of the year on Monday after an anomaly occurred during the third stage of its PSLV-62 rocket flight. The mission, operated by ISRO’s commercial arm, New Space India Limited (NSIL), was designed to deploy an Earth Observation Satellite along with 15 co-passenger payloads.
Launch Halted After Mid-Flight Disturbance
ISRO Chairman Dr V. Narayan confirmed that the flight encountered unexpected behaviour toward the end of the rocket’s third stage. “Close to the end of the third stage we were seeing some disturbance in the vehicle and there was a deviation in path of the vehicle and the mission could not proceed in the expected path,” he said in a statement following the aborted mission.
Engineers at ISRO’s mission control centre are analysing telemetry data to identify the root cause of the deviation. While the first and second stages of the launch performed nominally, the anomaly in the third stage forced mission controllers to end the flight prematurely for safety reasons.
PSLV’s Legacy and Ongoing Reliability
Despite the setback, the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) remains a vital component of India’s space programme. With 63 successful flights to date, PSLV has established itself as one of the world’s most reliable launch vehicles. It has played a central role in several of India’s landmark missions, including the Chandrayaan-1 lunar probe, the Mars Orbiter Mission (Mangalyaan), Aditya-L1 solar observatory, and the Astrosat space telescope.
The PSLV has also been instrumental in commercial launches, carrying satellites for international clients through NSIL, which handles ISRO’s commercial and partnership operations.
Investigation and Next Steps
ISRO has convened a review committee to assess the technical fault that caused the anomaly. The agency is expected to release a detailed report once the investigation concludes. Officials emphasised that such anomalies, though rare, are part of the learning process in complex space operations.
The launch was expected to mark the beginning of a busy year for ISRO, with several key missions in the pipeline, including further Earth observation and interplanetary projects. The agency reaffirmed its commitment to ensuring the reliability and safety of all future launches.