PSLV-C62 Mission Faces Anomaly After Third-Stage Issue, ISRO Probes Cause

New Delhi: India’s space agency, ISRO, launched the PSLV-C62 rocket on Monday morning, kicking off the country's first space mission of 2026. The vehicle lifted off on time from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota with an Earth observation satellite, EOS-N1, and a batch of co-passenger satellites aboard. But soon after the third stage of the rocket fired, engineers noticed something was wrong. 

Was the lift-off normal?

The rocket roared into the sky at the scheduled time, and the first two stages performed largely as expected. The lift-off marked the opening of India’s 2026 space calendar.

Where did the mission encounter trouble?

The issue surfaced near the end of the third stage (PS3) burn. ISRO officials reported a disturbance in the rocket’s roll motion and a deviation from its planned flight path. This was observed as the solid rocket motor of the third stage completed its burn.

"The performance of the vehicle up to the end of the third stage was as expected. Close to the end of the third stage, we saw a little more disturbance in the vehicle roll rates and subsequently a deviation in the flight path,” ISRO Chairman Dr. V. Narayanan said. 

“We are analysing the data and we shall come back at the earliest.” 

What is ISRO doing now?

Engineers have begun a detailed review of flight data to determine the exact cause of the anomaly. ISRO has not yet confirmed whether the satellites were successfully placed into orbit. The final outcome of the mission remains unclear until analysis is complete. 

What’s at stake?

The mission was important not just for orbiting India’s EOS-N1 Earth observation satellite, but also for carrying multiple co-passenger payloads for domestic and international customers. A successful launch would have reinforced confidence in the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle, a cornerstone of India’s space program. 

Has something like this happened before?

In mid-2025, a similar anomaly in the third stage affected the PSLV-C61 mission, which failed to place its payload into the intended orbit. The latest incident is being examined against that backdrop as scientists look for patterns and underlying causes.