India's EOS-09 Satellite Lost Due to Anomaly in Third Stage of Launch: ISRO

The 101st launch attempt by ISRO saw the PSLV-C61 rocket lift off from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh, after a 22-hour countdown that began Saturday morning.

The launch vehicle performed normally through the second stage, but the mission failed due to a problem detected in the third stage.

“Today 101st launch was attempted, PSLV-C61 performance was normal till 2nd stage. Due to an observation in 3rd stage, the mission could not be accomplished,” ISRO said in a statement on social media platform X.

The EOS-09 satellite was part of India’s Earth Observation Satellite series and marked the ninth mission in the program.

The 3,735-pound (1,694-kilogram) payload was equipped with synthetic aperture radar (SAR) technology designed to provide all-weather, day-and-night Earth imaging.

Had it been successfully deployed, EOS-09 would have delivered vital intelligence, particularly amid ongoing security concerns along India’s borders with China and Pakistan, according to India Today.

The satellite was expected to separate from the PSLV’s upper stage approximately 18 minutes after liftoff at an altitude of 332 miles (535 kilometers).

Sunday’s setback marks only the third failure in the PSLV’s 32-year history.

The four-stage, 146-foot-tall (44.5-meter) PSLV was flying in its "XL" configuration, which includes six strap-on solid rocket boosters.

The PSLV, introduced in the 1990s, is regarded as ISRO’s most reliable launch vehicle, with only two prior failures before this attempt, according to local media.

EOS-09 was the second orbital mission of the year for India.

The first took place in January, when a Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV) successfully deployed the NVS-02 navigation satellite.