Flight path disturbance observed shortly after rocket liftoff Monday
India's space program witnessed a tense start to the new year on Monday as the highly anticipated PSLV-C62 mission encountered unexpected technical difficulties. While the launch began smoothly with the rocket lifting off from the first launch pad at 10:18 AM, the mission faced a critical hurdle minutes into its journey.
Top officials at the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) confirmed that the launch vehicle suffered a deviation in its flight path. According to initial reports, the first two stages of the rocket performed perfectly, propelling the vehicle toward the upper atmosphere. However, the situation changed during the operation of the third stage (PS3).
Understanding the Anomaly
ISRO Chief V Narayanan addressed the media shortly after the incident, explaining that the disturbance occurred deep into the flight sequence.
"Performance of the vehicle up to the end of the 3rd stage was as expected, then we saw more disturbance in the vehicle's roll rates. Subsequently, there was a deviation observed in the flight path. We are analyzing the data and we shall come back at the earliest," Narayanan stated.
The PS3 stage is crucial for the mission. It utilizes a high-performance solid rocket motor (S7) designed to provide a massive thrust in near-vacuum conditions. This stage is responsible for significantly raising the altitude and velocity of the spacecraft to ensure it reaches the correct orbit.
Mission Stakes
This mission was particularly significant as it marked ISRO's first launch of 2026. The 44.4-meter-tall rocket was carrying a heavy responsibility on its shoulders: a specialized Earth observation satellite for the DRDO, along with 14 other commercial payloads for various domestic and international clients.
The primary objective was to deploy these satellites into a Sun-Synchronous Orbit at an altitude of approximately 511 km. The entire journey was scheduled to take roughly 17 minutes.
Following the event, the space agency took to social media platform X to officially record the incident, stating that a detailed analysis has been initiated to pinpoint the exact cause of the failure. Scientists are now combing through telemetry data to understand why the roll rates fluctuated, preventing the PSLV-C62 mission from completing its objectives.
