ISRO's first launch of 2026 fails: PSLV-C62 rocket deviates from path in third stage

Sriharikota (The Uttam Hindu): Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has taken another big leap in the field of space today, Monday 12 January. ISRO sent the country's satellite EOS-N1 Anvesha into space under the PSLV C-62 mission. With the help of this satellite, there was a possibility of revolution in border surveillance, identification of hidden targets and environmental monitoring. According to the information, ISRO's first satellite launch of the year 2026 took place from Sriharikota Space Port at around 10:17 am. However, this mission failed due to a technical fault in the last stage of the third stage.

ISRO kicked off its 2026 launch calendar on Monday with the PSLV-C62 mission, carrying the earth observation satellite EOS-N1 and 14 other payloads. The mission, conducted by ISRO's commercial arm NewSpace India Limited (NSIL), carried 14 other co-passenger satellites belonging to domestic and foreign customers. The satellite was launched from the first launch pad of the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota at 10:17 am.

The main payload is DRDO's EOS-N1 (Anvesha) hyperspectral Earth observation satellite, which will revolutionize border surveillance, detection of hidden targets, and environmental monitoring. This was a significant comeback for PSLV after the failure of the 2025 launch. In addition to EOS-N1, ISRO was also scheduled to launch 14 other payloads into space today.

First, the automatic launch sequence for the PSLV C62/EOS N1 was initiated. This indicates that all parameters are suitable for launch. A final test was then conducted, and liftoff took place at 10:18:30. However, the mission failed due to a technical failure in the final stage of the third stage.