India’s space agency, ISRO, faced a setback when its trusted PSLV rocket failed to place the EOS-09 satellite into its intended orbit. The mission, launched early Sunday from Sriharikota, had been going smoothly until a problem occurred minutes after liftoff.
The PSLV (Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle) is ISRO’s reliable workhorse, having completed 101 missions from Sriharikota. But this time, the rocket’s third stage showed a sudden drop in pressure, which led to the mission’s failure.
ISRO Chairman V. Narayanan explained the rocket’s complexity to reporters: “The PSLV is a four-stage vehicle. The first stage is solid propulsion with six strap-on motors, the second is liquid propulsion, followed by a solid third stage, and a liquid fourth stage. All these stages must work perfectly to place a satellite in orbit.”
For the EOS-09 mission, the first two stages worked fine. However, the third stage faced a “drop in chamber pressure,” which made it impossible for the rocket to complete the mission.
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Narayanan said this was “regrettable,” but the team quickly moved to form a committee to find the root cause.
While the failure might sound dramatic, it is a reminder that space missions are complex and risky. India’s space program has been praised worldwide for its cost-effective and innovative launches. One failed mission doesn’t change that, but it does highlight the challenges of space travel.
The committee has already held several discussions to investigate the problem thoroughly. Once the cause is clear, ISRO will inform the public and take steps to prevent similar failures in the future.
ISRO remains optimistic and committed to its schedule. Despite this setback, it plans to continue launching one mission every month for the rest of 2025. “We won’t stop. We will learn and improve,” said Narayanan.
If there is a silver lining here, it is ISRO’s transparency and swift response. Unlike some agencies that hide failures, ISRO openly communicates issues and shows readiness to fix them. It’s a mature approach in an industry where mistakes can mean millions of dollars lost or worse.
For space enthusiasts and everyday Indians alike, the message is clear: space exploration is not just about successes but also about how well an agency handles setbacks. ISRO’s journey is a story of ambition, resilience, and steady progress, even when the going gets tough.
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