How India’s ISRO PSLV-C61 rocket failed to launch, an extremely rare event in its over thirty years of service. The EOS-09 Earth observation satellite was lost.
In the aerospace sector, India is carving a place for itself with numerous launches, missions, and increasingly ambitious goals. In the past few days, a rare but possible event occurred: the failure of the Indian PSLV-C61 rocket launch by ISRO, which led to the destruction of its payload, the EOS-09 satellite.
India’s Growing Space Ambitions
India is rapidly expanding its role in the global space industry. With regular satellite launches, interplanetary missions like Chandrayaan and Mangalyaan, and increasing commercial collaborations, ISRO has built a strong global reputation.
At the core of many of these achievements is the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV), considered one of the most reliable rockets in the world. Since its first flight in 1993, the PSLV has completed 63 missions with only four failures, including this most recent one.
A Rare Setback for India’s Trusted Workhorse
India’s space agency, ISRO (Indian Space Research Organisation), suffered a rare setback on May 18, 2025, with the failed launch of the PSLV-C61 mission. The rocket lifted off at 2:29 AM (Italian time) from the Satish Dhawan Space Center but experienced a third-stage anomaly about 6.1 minutes into the flight, resulting in the loss of the EOS-09 satellite.
Launch Overview – Mission details and launch time
At 2:29 AM on May 18 (Brussels time), the India’s space agency, ISRO (Indian Space Research Organisation) Launched a Polar Satellite Vehicle (PSLV) from the Satish Dhawan Space Center. In the initial seconds of the launch, everything appeared nominal, and the mission control center seemed confident in the mission’s success. However, about 6.1 minutes into the flight, just before the separation of the fourth stage and the payload, an anomaly in the third stage led to the destruction of the EOS-09 satellite and the failure of the PSLV-C61 mission.
Overview of the PSLV-XL Mission History and Launch Characteristics
It’s important to note that this is a possible, though quite rare, event for this launch vehicle. Its inaugural flight took place back in 1993, and since then, it has carried out 63 missions, with only three failures (including the first launch and one in 2017, as well as the current one) and one partial failure (in 1997). This was also the 27th launch of the Indian rocket in the PSLV-XL configuration, which stands 44.5 meters tall, has a liftoff mass of 321 tons, and features a four-stage design with six solid-fueled strap-on boosters.
EOS-09: Another Loss in the EOS Series
EOS-09 was intended to bolster India’s remote sensing capabilities. With a launch mass of 1.7 tonnes, it was functionally similar to EOS-04, launched in 2022. Unfortunately, EOS-09 became the third satellite in the EOS series to fail reaching orbit, after EOS-03 (2021) and EOS-02 (2022).
These repeated failures in the EOS series have raised questions about mission planning, testing, and execution, though they do not necessarily indicate a systemic issue across ISRO’s broader operations.
ISRO’s PSLV Launch Vehicle Reliability and Recent Earth Observation Satellite Challenges.
ISRO considered the PSLV launch vehicle largely reliable, with the last reported issue occurring in 2017. Of the SAR (Synthetic Aperture Radar) Earth observation satellites in the EOS series, three have failed to reach orbit: EOS-02 (launched in 2022), EOS-03 (launched in 2021), and EOS-09 (launched in 2025). The latter was identical to the EOS-04 model (launched in 2022) and had a liftoff mass of 1.7 tons.
What’s Next for ISRO?
ISRO will likely conduct a detailed failure analysis, as it has done in past incidents. The findings will help refine launch protocols and possibly enhance future mission design, particularly in the EOS satellite family. Additionally, India is set to continue working on ambitious programs including Gaganyaan, its first human spaceflight mission, and various deep space projects.
Failures, while disappointing, are an inherent part of space exploration. Each incident brings valuable lessons that help push technological boundaries and strengthen mission robustness.
 A Temporary Setback in a Broader Success Story
The failure of PSLV-C61 and the loss of EOS-09 is a rare dark spot in ISRO’s otherwise bright trajectory. However, with a long list of achievements and future missions lined up, ISRO is expected to bounce back quickly, armed with more data, more insights, and even greater resolve.
