Mumbai, January 12: India’s first space mission of 2026 encountered a significant technical challenge on Monday, January 12, when the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) reported an anomaly during the flight of its PSLV-C62 rocket. While the vehicle lifted off successfully from Sriharikota at 10:18 AM IST, a disturbance was observed toward the end of the third stage, causing the rocket to deviate from its intended flight path. ISRO officials confirmed that the primary payload, the 'Anvesha' Earth observation satellite, and 15 co-passenger satellites failed to reach their target orbit.

The 44.4-meter-tall Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) performed normally through its first two stages. However, ISRO Chairman Dr. V. Narayanan stated that mission control observed increased "disturbances" during the third-stage (PS3) solid motor burn. This led to a trajectory deviation that prevented the fourth stage from correctly positioning the satellites. Engineers are currently analyzing telemetry data to determine the root cause of the failure. ISRO PSLV-C62 Successfully Launches EOS-N1 ‘Anvesha’ and 14 Co-Passenger Satellites From Sriharikota.

ISRO PSLV-C62 Mission Rocket Suffers 'Anomaly' During End of PS3 Stage

ISRO PSLV-C62 Mission Rocket Suffers 'Anomaly'

The mission, conducted by ISRO's commercial arm, NewSpace India Limited (NSIL), was carrying a total of 16 satellites. The primary passenger was Anvesha (EOS-N1), a hyperspectral imaging satellite developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) for strategic border surveillance and environmental monitoring.

The loss is a notable blow to India’s growing private space ecosystem. The mission carried several innovative projects, including AayulSAT, which was set to demonstrate India’s first on-orbit satellite refueling. Other co-passengers included the MOI-1 "orbital AI laboratory" from Hyderabad-based startups and Spain’s Kestrel Initial Technology Demonstrator (KID), a re-entry capsule intended for a splashdown in the South Pacific. ISRO PSLV-C62 Mission Launch Live Streaming: Watch Online Telecast As Indian Space Agency Deploys EOS-N1 Satellite in 1st Mission of 2026.

Legacy of the PSLV Workhorse

Known as the "workhorse" of ISRO, the PSLV has an extensive history of reliability, having successfully launched landmark missions like Chandrayaan-1 and the Mars Orbiter Mission. This incident marks a rare setback for the launch vehicle, which has maintained a success rate of over 90% across more than 60 flights.

This failure follows a similar anomaly encountered by the PSLV-C61 mission in May 2025, which also faced third-stage issues. The repeated nature of the problem is expected to trigger a rigorous investigation by a Failure Analysis Committee to ensure the integrity of future launches in ISRO’s busy 2026 calendar.

ISRO has initiated a detailed data analysis to understand the exact moment and cause of the disturbance. The space agency has vowed to share further updates once the preliminary review is complete. Despite the setback, officials emphasized that the technical data gathered from the first two successful stages remains valuable for refining future flight profiles.

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(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jan 12, 2026 11:48 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).