Another Indian Space Mission Fails Midway

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International Desk: India’s latest space mission has ended in failure, as the Indian Space Research Organisation’s (ISRO) attempt to launch the EOS-09 satellite was aborted mid-flight due to a technical glitch.

According to a report by NDTV citing Indian news agency ANI, ISRO’s PSLV-C61 rocket, carrying the EOS-09 Earth observation satellite, lifted off on Sunday morning (May 18) at 5:59 AM from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh. While the initial phases of the launch were successful, a malfunction occurred during the third stage of the mission, forcing ISRO officials to abort the operation.

The mission was broadcast live by ISRO. Following the failure, the organization issued a statement saying, “Today marked our 101st mission. The PSLV-C61 functioned normally up to the second stage, but due to an anomaly detected during a critical observation in the third stage, the mission could not be completed.”

The EOS-09 satellite, which weighed 1,696 kilograms, was intended to be deployed in a 524-kilometer Sun-synchronous polar orbit. However, at around 203 seconds into the flight, a mechanical fault was detected in the motor used during the third stage of the launch.

ISRO has been using the PSLV (Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle) for various missions since 2017. Out of 63 launches conducted using this rocket, three have resulted in complete failure. ISRO engineers are currently investigating the cause of the malfunction, and a committee has been formed to examine the issue thoroughly.

In the aftermath of the failed mission, ISRO destroyed the rocket in space to avoid any risks. The debris from the rocket is expected to fall back to Earth, but ISRO has assured that all necessary precautions are being taken to ensure that it poses no threat to people or the environment.