India's space ambitions have suffered a major setback as its primary launch vehicle experienced a malfunction during a critical military and commercial mission, resulting in a strategically important military satellite and multiple commercial payloads failing to reach their intended orbit. This marks the second consecutive launch failure for this rocket type, raising external concerns about the reliability of its launch system.
According to information from Indian sources, on January 12th local time, a multi-satellite launch mission conducted by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) encountered an anomaly after liftoff. The rocket's trajectory showed a significant deviation during flight, and officials subsequently confirmed the mission was a failure.
This mission was carrying a military Earth observation satellite codenamed EOS-N1, along with 15 other payloads. The accident not only means the loss of expensive on-orbit assets but also marks a rare consecutive blow for the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV), often called the "workhorse" of the Indian space program. The previous flight of this rocket type was in May 2025, a mission that also ended in failure, resulting in the destruction of the EOS-09 satellite.
Currently, India's space department is conducting an urgent analysis of telemetry data to determine the specific root cause of the failure. These consecutive setbacks could negatively impact India's efforts to capture a share of the global commercial satellite launch market, while also delaying the deployment of its military space-based surveillance network.
**Third-Stage Rocket Anomaly**
According to media reports, the PSLV rocket launched from India's Satish Dhawan Space Centre at 11:48 PM EST on Sunday (10:18 AM IST Monday). However, during a critical phase of the flight, the rocket did not perform as planned.
ISRO Chairman V. Narayanan revealed details of the malfunction during an update on the launch webcast. He stated: "Near the end of the third stage [engine burn], we observed a significant disturbance in the roll rate of the launch vehicle, following which a deviation in the flight path was observed."
He added that the agency is analyzing the data and will provide results as soon as possible.
It is noteworthy that this incident shares similarities with the failure in May 2025, where the anomaly also occurred during the PSLV rocket's third-stage burn phase. If the final investigation confirms this as a complete failure, it will be the fourth failure in the PSLV's total history of 64 launches. As a four-stage rocket that first flew in 1993, the PSLV has successfully executed several high-profile missions, including the Chandrayaan-1 lunar probe in 2008, the Mars Orbiter Mission in 2013, and the Aditya-L1 solar probe in 2023.
**Strategic Asset Loss**
The primary asset lost in this launch failure is the small Earth observation satellite codenamed EOS-N1 (also known as Anvesha). Multiple sources confirm this is a hyperspectral imaging satellite designed to study Earth in hundreds of different light wavebands, with its primary user being the Indian military. The satellite was reportedly intended to continuously scan the Earth's surface, sending back images that could generate valuable intelligence.
In addition to the primary military payload, this mission was organized by ISRO's commercial arm, NewSpace India Limited, marking the ninth commercial mission organized by the agency. Also lost were 15 other commercial and scientific payloads, involving several international clients.
These payloads included an Earth observation satellite from a Thai-British collaboration, a Brazilian satellite designed to aid distressed fishing vessels, an on-orbit refueling demonstration payload from an Indian company, and a re-entry capsule from the Spanish startup Orbital Paradigm.
With the exception of the re-entry capsule named KID (Kestrel Initial technology Demonstrator), all payloads were intended for Low Earth Orbit. The capsule was scheduled to separate from the PSLV's fourth stage later in the flight and re-enter the Earth, splashing down in the South Pacific Ocean. This launch failure means these commercial verification and scientific projects have all been forced to halt.
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