19 May 2025
ISRO's 101st launch, PSLV-C61, carrying the EOS-09 satellite, unfortunately failed due to a technical glitch in the third stage of the rocket. The launch occurred on May 18, 2025, at 5:59 am from Sriharikota.
Mission Objective: The EOS-09 satellite was designed to enhance India's land observation capabilities, providing high-resolution images of the Earth's surface under all weather conditions, day or night, using its C-band synthetic aperture radar technology.
Failure Cause: According to ISRO Chairman V Narayanan, the first two stages of the PSLV-C61 rocket performed normally, but an anomaly in the third stage led to the mission failure. The exact cause is still being analyzed.
Impact: This failure raises concerns about national security, as the EOS-09 satellite was intended for strategic surveillance and was estimated to cost around ₹850 crore (approximately $100 million USD).
Previous Failures: This is the third failure in PSLV's history, with previous failures occurring in 1993 and 2017. ISRO is conducting a thorough analysis to determine the cause and prevent future failures.
Next Steps: ISRO will investigate the failure and work on rectifying the issues to ensure the success of future missions. The agency has a strong track record of overcoming challenges and achieving success in space exploration