Indian rocket launch fails, Earth-observation satellite lost

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Indian rocket launch fails, Earth-observation satellite lost

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The PSLV rocket carrying India’s EOS-09 Earth-observation satellite lifts off from the Satash Dhawan Space Centre on May 17, 2025 (May 18 local time). The launch ended in a failure due to a problem with the rocket’s third stage. | Credit: ISRO

India’s attempt to launch an Earth-observing radar satellite tonight (May 17) ended in failure.

The

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‘s (ISRO) EOS-09 spacecraft lifted off atop a Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) rocket from Satish Dhawan Space Centre on Saturday at 8:29 p.m. EDT (0029 GMT or 5:59 a.m. India Standard Time on Sunday, May 18). The satellite was lost due to an issue with the third stage of the

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about six minutes into the launch.

“The PSLV is a four stage vehicle. Up to the second stage, the performance was quite normal,” ISRO Chairman V. Narayanan

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after the launch. “Third stage, motor started perfectly, but during the functioning of the third stage, we are seeing a observation, and the mission could not be accomplished. After analysis, we shall come back.”

ISRO officials reported the same statement on social media, referring to the rocket as

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.

“PSLV-C61 performance was normal till 2nd stage. Due to an observation in 3rd stage, the mission could not be accomplished,” ISRO

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.

The EOS-09 launch was intended as the ninth mission in India’s Earth Observation Satellite series. The

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was equipped with a synthetic aperture radar (SAR) payload, which had been it successfully deployed, would have allowed observations of our planet both day and night and through cloud cover.

The 3,735-pound (1,694 kilograms) EOS-09 had been scheduled to deploy from the PSLV’s upper stage about 18 minutes after liftoff, at an altitude of 332 miles (535 kilometers).

“Its ability to provide round-the-clock, reliable intelligence is especially significant given ongoing security concerns along India’s borders with Pakistan and China,”

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, before the launch failure.

Related stories:

—

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— India launches Earth-observing satellite on 3rd mission of new rocket (video)

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EOS-09 was the second orbital liftoff of the year for India. The first occurred in January, when a Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle launched the NVS-02 navigation spacecraft to the final frontier.

Tonight’s launch was the 101st to date for ISRO and the 63rd for the four-stage, 146-foot-tall (44.5 meters) PSLV. The workhorse rocket was flying in its “XL” configuration, which featured six strap-on solid rocket boosters. This was only the third failure in the rocket’s 32-year history.

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