Key Facts
Union Minister of State for Science and Technology Jitendra Singh announced on Saturday that the anomaly in the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) has been resolved. Speaking at the Research, Industry, Start-up and Entrepreneurship (RISE) Conclave 2026 in Bengaluru, he revealed that a national-level expert committee submitted its report identifying the anomaly.
“The report has come out and the anomaly has been detected. However we cannot share that (reason for the anomaly) on a public platform. But experts are working on it, which has been resolved and very soon we will be back on the track,” Dr. Singh said.
Details of the Anomaly
The PSLV, often called the workhorse of ISRO, suffered two consecutive setbacks. On January 12, 2026, the PSLV-C62 mission carrying the EOS-N1 earth observation satellite failed to reach its intended orbit due to an anomaly in the third stage. Earlier, on May 18, 2025, the PSLV-C61 mission with the EOS-09 satellite also failed because of a third-stage anomaly.
Following these incidents, a national expert committee was formed, including former Principal Scientific Advisor K. Vijay Raghavan and former ISRO Chairman S. Somanath.
Impact and Learning
Dr. Singh emphasized that the two back-to-back failures should be viewed as learning experiences rather than failures. “There is no such thing as failure in a space mission. It is sometimes delayed, sometimes a setback which actually is a learning experience. Even if you take it that way, if you call every unsuccessful or half successful attempt as a failure statistically our number of so-called failures is much lesser than the USA. Chandrayaan-3 and Mars Orbiter Mission were successful in their very first attempt so that way we have a better statistical record,” he said.
Upcoming Launches
ISRO Chairman V. Narayanan announced that the next launch, a Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV) mission, will take place within a month. “We are building the rocket and may be within a month we will launch. The first launch will be a GSLV mission and subsequently we will launch the PSLV,” Mr. Narayanan said.
What Readers Should Know
- The PSLV anomaly has been identified and resolved by an expert committee.
- ISRO will resume launches with a GSLV mission within a month, followed by PSLV flights.
- The minister highlighted India's strong track record in space missions compared to other nations.
Frequently Asked Questions
What caused the PSLV anomaly?
The exact reason has not been disclosed publicly, but a national expert committee has detected the anomaly and resolved it.
When will ISRO launch next?
ISRO chairman V. Narayanan said the next launch, a GSLV mission, will take place within a month, followed by a PSLV launch.
How many PSLV failures occurred?
Two consecutive PSLV missions failed in 2025 and 2026 due to anomalies in the third stage.
Source: www.thehindu.com