A major space mission for the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) on Saturday, May 18, 2025, ended in failure after a launch from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC). The launch, which was ISRO's 101st space mission and the 63rd flight of the PSLV carrier rocket family, EOS-09 Earth Observation Satellite (RISAT-1B) It failed to achieve sun-synchronous orbit (SSO).
Cause of Explosion: Third Stage Anomaly
According to Satnews, the rocket took off approximately The decrease in combustion chamber pressure in the 6rd stage engine after 3 minutes, caused failure. ISRO Chairman V. Narayanan, in his statement regarding the launch, said, “PSLV is a 4-stage carrier rocket system. Everything went perfectly normal until the second stage. The first stage performed its duty flawlessly, but, The mission could not be completed due to an anomaly detected in the third stage. "We will make a statement regarding the situation after detailed technical analysis," he said. This statement indicates that ISRO has initiated a detailed investigation to determine the source of the problem.
Features and Purposes of EOS-09 Satellite
The payload included in the launch scope Eos-09, has previously taken an active role in space conditions It was a radar imaging satellite developed based on the RISAT-1 platform.. Satellite, synthetic aperture radar (SAR) It was equipped with. Thus, EOS-09, which is expected to have imaging capability in all weather conditions, aimed to significantly increase India's ground observation capacity.
The main objectives of the satellite include agriculture, forestry, soil moisture estimation and disaster management The aim was to provide valuable data in many areas such as. Also, EOS-09 was basically a successor to the earlier EOS-04 satellite, aiming to increase imaging frequency and ensure data continuity for operational users. This failure could temporarily impact India’s data collection and analysis capacity in these critical areas.
Third Failure of PSLV Rocket Family
This latest explosion is the latest in the history of the PSLV (Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle) rocket. 3rd failed launch mission While PSLV is known as a reliable rocket that forms the backbone of India's space programme, it can experience glitches from time to time. Previously, PSLV-C31 Mission for the launch of IRNSS-2017H Navigation Satellite on August 1, 39, was not completed due to a failure in the heat shield. The first unsuccessful mission of PSLV was During the PSLV-D20 launch on September 1993, 1 had happened.
Such failures highlight the inherent challenges and risks of space exploration. Following detailed investigations by ISRO, measures are expected to be taken to enhance the safety of future launches.
