India's Space Agency Fails to Reach Orbit in 101st Satellite Launch Attempts on PSLV-C61

New Delhi: In a surprise move, India's space agency, Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), failed to launch its 101st satellite into orbit on the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV-C61) mission on Sunday. The mission, aiming to place the Earth Observation Satellite EOS-09 in Sun Synchronous Polar Orbit (SSPO), had its third stage fail to reach its intended destination, citing "observations" as the cause.

According to ISRO Chief V Narayanan, the first two stages performed as expected before an observation during the third stage led to the mission's failure. "The vehicle is a 4-stage vehicle. The first two stages performed as expected. During the 3rd stage, we are seeing observation...The mission could not be accomplished," he said.

Later, ISRO confirmed in a statement that the PSLV-C61 performance was normal until the second stage before an error occurred during the third stage, leading to the failure of the mission.

Former ISRO scientist Manish Purohit emphasized the strategic importance of this mission. "It strengthens monitoring at borders and coasts, particularly concerning sensitive areas. The satellite can detect ingress or suspicious movement deemed vital in anti-terror operations," he highlighted.

The EOS-09 satellite, designed for all-weather earth observation, weighs approximately 1,696.24 kg, carrying high-resolution imaging capabilities critical for numerous applications like agriculture, forestry monitoring, urban planning, disaster management, and national security. However, its continuous imaging would provide real-time coverage only after successful integration into orbit.

ISRO Chairman V Narayanan, who offered prayers before the launch in Tirupati, expressed hopes that the agency would learn from its mistakes and make necessary adjustments to complete future missions successfully.