The Indian Space Research Organisation’s mission to deploy the Earth Observation Satellite EOS-09 aboard the PSLV-C61 rocket ended in failure after a technical anomaly disrupted the third stage of the launch vehicle. The setback occurred during the early hours of Sunday, 18 May 2025, following a liftoff from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota at 5:59 AM IST.
ISRO Chairman V. Narayanan confirmed that the mission could not be accomplished as planned, attributing the failure to a drop in chamber pressure in the third stage’s motor case. This malfunction prevented the satellite from achieving its intended sun-synchronous polar orbit. The first and second stages of the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle operated nominally, but the third stage’s underperformance led to the mission’s premature termination.
EOS-09, also known as RISAT-1B, was designed to enhance India’s Earth observation capabilities. Equipped with a C-band synthetic aperture radar , the satellite was intended to provide high-resolution imaging regardless of weather conditions, day or night. Its applications spanned agriculture, forestry monitoring, disaster management, urban planning, and national security.
The mission’s failure marks a rare anomaly for ISRO, which has maintained a high success rate in its space endeavors. The PSLV-C61 was the 63rd flight of the PSLV series and the 27th in its XL configuration. The launch vehicle was also carrying additional payloads, including CGUSAT, LEAP-1, MUNAL, Phoenix, and Sowa-1, whose statuses remain unconfirmed following the mission’s failure.
ISRO has constituted a Failure Analysis Committee to investigate the cause of the third stage malfunction. The committee will conduct a thorough technical analysis to determine the underlying issues and recommend corrective measures to prevent similar occurrences in future missions.
The EOS-09 satellite was part of a broader initiative to expand India’s constellation of Earth observation satellites. ISRO had plans to deploy a total of 52 satellites over the next five years, aiming to bolster the nation’s surveillance capabilities and support various civilian and strategic applications.
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