Indian Space Research Organisation’s (ISRO) 63rd PSLV launch to put the EOS-9 surveillance satellite in orbit could not be accomplished as the launch failed during the third of four stages due to a fall in pressure.
The space agency said the on Sunday morning that an anomaly during the solid fuel stage was observed after successful first and second stages, minutes after PSLV’s lift-off from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota at 5.59 am. ISRO’s workhorse rocket Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle’s (PSLV) launch failed due to a fall in chamber pressure, the space agency’s chairman V Narayanan, instrumental in determining the cause of Chandrayaan-2 lander failure in 2023, said.
On board the rocket was the Earth Observation Satellite – 9 (EOS-9), designed to provide continuous and reliable remote sensing data for operational applications across various sectors. Had it been places into orbit 500 kilometres above the Earth’s surface, it would have enhanced India’s surveillance capabilities shortly after a ceasefire brought cross-border tensions to a halt.
As per standard procedure, ISRO’s internal failure analysis committee and the government’s external committee are now expected to probe the failure of the PSLV, considered a reliable rocket that launched the Chandrayaan and Mangalyaan missions. The conclusions of these committees’ findings are usually expected in a few weeks.
Though EOS-9 was not put into orbit today, four radar satellites and eight cartosats continue to maintain vigil. EOS-9, however, had the capability to continue surveillance in all weather conditions and at night. Its replacement will take a few years to build.