In a morning that promised to reclaim India’s momentum in the stars, the PSLV-C62 mission has instead plunged the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) into a frantic diagnostic battle. Just minutes after a thunderous lift-off from Sriharikota at 10:18 AM, the legendary Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle began to deviate from its calculated path, leaving the fate of 16 satellites hanging in the balance.
For a mission intended to wash away the memory of last year’s third-stage anomaly, this deviation is a bitter pill for the agency and its global commercial partners.
I. The Thundering Start and the Silent Deviation
The countdown at the Satish Dhawan Space Centre was flawless. The first two stages of the PSLV-DL variant performed with their signature precision, carrying the primary payload—the DRDO-developed Anvesha (EOS-N1)—and 15 co-passenger satellites toward the heavens.
However, as the rocket transitioned into its later stages, tracking screens at Mission Control showed a terrifying drift. The “Workhorse” was no longer following the line. The live telecast, usually a celebration of Indian engineering, was suddenly muted by a heavy silence as the trajectory data turned red. Initial reports suggest that while the launch was “thundering,” the vehicle failed to achieve the necessary velocity and orientation for a stable orbital injection.
II. The 16-Satellite Stakes: A Global Loss?
The cargo on board represented a massive leap for India’s private space sector and international collaboration.
- The Crown Jewel: The Anvesha satellite, a highly classified surveillance asset for the DRDO, was designed to be India’s “eyes in the sky” for strategic targets.
- The Private Surge: Seven satellites belonged to Hyderabad-based Dhruva Space, marking the single largest contribution by an Indian private player in a single mission.
- The Global Payload: Satellites from the UK, Brazil, Spain, and France—including a cutting-edge re-entry capsule—are now likely stranded in a “useless orbit” or destined to burn up in the atmosphere.
III. The Third-Stage Shadow
Early telemetry suggests that the anomaly might be a haunting echo of the May 2025 PSLV-C61 failure. While ISRO Chairman V. Narayanan had assured the nation that corrective measures were implemented, this deviation points to a potential systemic issue in the vehicle’s guidance or propulsion system during the transition to the upper stages.
“We saw an observation in the trajectory,” a source at Sriharikota noted grimly. “The vehicle is not where it should be. We are analyzing if there is any chance of a late-stage correction, but the outlook for the 16-satellite cluster is currently bleak.”
IV. The Verdict: A Testing Time for Ambition
This is a significant setback for the NewSpace India Limited (NSIL), which had organized this as a premier commercial mission. As India aims for its own space station and a crewed mission in 2027, the reliability of the PSLV is the foundation upon which those dreams are built.
Today’s deviation isn’t just a loss of hardware; it is a loss of the “Goldilocks” momentum ISRO had built over decades of successful flights. The “Workhorse” has stumbled, and the world is watching to see if it can get back on its feet.
