ISRO’s PSLV-C61/EOS-09 launch Mission Experiences a Setback: What transpired and what comes next?
The Indian Space Research Organizations (ISRO) 101st mission the PSLV-C61 carrying the EOS-09 satellite, suffered a rare setback on May 18 2025, when it failed to enter the desired orbit. Despite a successful launch from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota at 5:59 AM IST, the mission was unsuccessful due to an issue with the rockets (EOS-09 third stage).
What Was Wrong?
As stated by the ISRO Chairman during its first and second stages, the PSLV-C61 rocket operated as intended. However a technical issue in the third stage resulted in a decrease in chamber pressure. This pressure drop prevented the rocket from orbiting the EOS-09 satellite at 524 kilometers in its intended sun-synchronous polar orbit. ISRO has initiated a comprehensive investigation to determine the exact reason behind the anomaly. To fully examine the problem and offer suggestions to stop similar incidents in missions in the future a Failure Analysis Committee has been established.
About the EOS-09 satellite:
The EOS-09 or RISAT-1 B satellite from ISRO was fitted with a C-band SAR to support agricultural monitoring, disaster relief and the security of the nation. The satellite was built to support remote sensing and surveillance in India and its data is used by both government and academic organizations. The fact that it did not reach orbit means that the resources and technology invested in it were lost.
ISRO’s Accomplishments and Upcoming Projects:
Even with this problem, ISRO has still managed to complete many successful space missions. Before this incident, the company had launched the PSLV series more than 60 times. When ISRO completed a mission that orbited Mars in 2014 it made history in 2023 by landing a spacecraft near the moons south pole. The group is committed to advancing space exploration and technology at all times. Officials from ISRO believe that the lessons learned from this failure will help guide their future activities. The outcomes of the PSLV-C61 mission failure analysis will be used to improve the design, testing and quality assurance processes.
How the public and scientific community responded:
The public and scientists have accepted that ISRO is prone to errors which are inevitable in space travel. Numerous people have commended the organization for quickly looking into the incident and being forthright about the error. Many social media users are encouraging ISRO to recover from this problem and continue with their success in future missions.
In conclusion:
This PSLV-C61/EOS-09 mission failure serves as a reminder of the challenges and complexity of space exploration. Although the loss of the EOS-09 satellite is a significant setback, ISRO has an opportunity to review and improve its processes and systems. It is expected that ISRO will learn from this experience and continue to advance space technology in India given its history of perseverance and innovation.
