PSLV Failure Overshadows Mission, but One Foreign Payload Beats the Odds
ISRO's PSLV-C62 loses 15 satellites but Spanish 'KID' capsule survives anomaly.
The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) faced a major setback during the PSLV-C62/EOS-N1 mission launched from Sriharikota on Monday at 10:18 AM. The 44.4-metre four-stage rocket was tasked with placing a primary Earth observation satellite along with 15 co-passenger payloads into a 512 km Sun-synchronous orbit after a nominal 17-minute flight. Initial phases of the ascent proceeded smoothly under automatic launch sequencing, with real-time updates from mission control indicating normal performance until the third stage ignition.
An anomaly emerged during the third stage when disturbances were observed as the strap-on motors provided thrust to achieve the required altitude. ISRO Chairman V Narayanan reported deviations from the planned flight path, leading to the failure in injecting the satellites into their designated orbit. While most sources indicated that all 16 satellites were lost and may now be drifting as space debris, one small payload defied expectations and achieved partial success against formidable odds.
The outlier was the Kestrel Initial Technology Demonstrator (KID), a prototype re-entry vehicle developed by Spanish startup Orbital Paradigm. The company announced on X that the KID capsule managed to separate from the PSLV-C62, activate its systems, and transmit data successfully. Orbital Paradigm stated it is currently reconstructing the capsule's trajectory, with a comprehensive report expected soon, marking a rare positive outcome from an otherwise unsuccessful mission.
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Among the satellites that failed to reach orbit were significant payloads including DRDO's Anvesha for detecting camouflaged military assets from nearly 500 km, AayulSAT as India's first in-orbit fuelling demonstration satellite, CGUSAT built by students for disaster management and emergency communication, and a joint Thailand-UK Earth observation satellite. This incident represents the second consecutive PSLV setback, following a similar failure in May 2025 on PSLV-C61 due to a motor pressure issue.
ISRO confirmed the anomaly at the end of the third stage via its official X handle and initiated a detailed data analysis using inputs from all ground stations. Chairman Narayanan addressed the media, stating that the mission did not follow the expected flight path and assured that findings would be shared once the evaluation is complete. A former senior ISRO scientist noted that such setbacks require time for thorough investigation and corrective measures, with an official statement anticipated in the coming days.
Also Read: ISRO Suffers Major Setback as PSLV-C62 Mission Fails, 16 Satellites Lost
