On Monday, ISRO kicked off its 2026 space calendar with the launch of Anvesha, as the PSLV-C62 rocket lifted off from the First Launch Pad at the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota at 10:17 am IST.
ISRO’s trusted launch vehicle, PSLV-C62, lifted off from the spaceport on Monday morning, marking the first launch of the year. The rocket carried an Earth observation satellite along with 14 other commercial payloads for Indian and international customers. Soon after launch, ISRO officials said the mission faced an issue mid-flight. A deviation in the rocket’s flight path was detected during the third stage of the mission.
ISRO Chairman Dr V Narayanan confirmed the development, saying that data from the launch is currently being analysed. He did not share further details at this stage. “There was a deviation in the flight path during the third stage, and ISRO is analysing the data,” Dr V Narayanan said.
The launch was carried out under a commercial agreement secured by NewSpace India Ltd, ISRO’s commercial arm. The mission was meant to place an Earth observation satellite in orbit, along with multiple smaller payloads.
What went wrong during the flight- ISRO chairman explains the situation
ISRO Chairman V Narayanan said the issue appeared near the end of the third stage of the rocket’s journey. Up until that point, the rocket was behaving normally. However, just before the third stage finished burning, engineers noticed stronger-than-expected disturbances in the vehicle.
“Today, we have attempted the PSLV C62 / EOS – N1 Mission. The PSLV vehicle is a four-stage vehicle with two solid stages and two liquid stages. The vehicle’s performance near the end of the third stage was as expected. (However), near the end of the third stage, we are seeing increased disturbance in the vehicle. Subsequently, a deviation in the vehicle’s flight path is observed. We are analysing the data and will come back at the earliest,” Narayanan said, according to ANI.
Soon after, ISRO said it had started a detailed analysis to understand exactly what caused the problem. The space agency shared the update on X and said more information would be provided once the data review is complete.
This mission was important for ISRO as it was the space agency’s first major launch of 2026. The rocket lifted off from the First Launch Pad at Sriharikota and was meant to place an Earth observation satellite into orbit. The launch was handled by NewSpace India Limited and was the ninth commercial mission focused on building and launching Earth observation satellites.
What the PSLV-C62 / EOS-N1 mission is about?
Over the last twenty years, the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle, or PSLV, has become the backbone of India’s space programme. PSLV-C62 marks the 64th flight of the PSLV rocket. The main goal of this mission is to build and launch the EOS-N1 Earth observation satellite for a user.
Along with EOS-N1, the rocket will also carry 15 smaller co-passenger satellites. These belong to both Indian and international customers. NSIL is handling the mission end-to-end, from integrating the satellites onto the rocket to managing the launch itself.
This mission will use the PSLV-DL configuration. EOS-N1 is an Earth observation satellite designed to boost India’s space-based monitoring abilities. Satellites in the EOS family are commonly used for tasks such as tracking environmental changes, mapping natural resources, helping during disasters, and more.