ISRO’s PSLV Suffers Second Failure as Third-Stage Glitch Sends Rocket Off Course

India's PSLV rocket lifted off Jan. 12 carrying its new military hyperspectral satellite (EOS-N1, aka Anvesha) and 15 other payloads. Shortly after the third stage ignited, ISRO reported an “anomaly” and a deviation in the flight path. It was the PSLV's first launch since a May 2025 failure. All spacecraft are now feared lost; ISRO said it was analysing the data to determine what went wrong.

Third-stage anomaly halts mission

According to ISRO chief V. Narayanan, the rocket's third-stage burn was nominal until a disturbance caused it to veer off course. Reuters calls this “a second disappointment” for the PSLV, which had ~90% success over ~60 missions. (The May 2025 flight similarly failed during its third stage.) The PSLV is ISRO's “workhorse” launch vehicle, so consecutive failures are a concern for India's space program. A detailed investigation is underway.

Hyperspectral satellite and other payloads

EOS-N1, also known as Anvesha, is a hyperspectral satellite designed for Earth imaging, specifically for India's military use. It's capable of scanning the Earth across hundreds of spectral bands and, as The Tribune points out, it can “constantly scan the Earth's surface” to gather intelligence. Alongside it, there were 15 smaller satellites, including an Earth-observer satellite from the UK and Thailand, a Brazilian beacon for fishermen, an Indian refuelling demo, and a Spanish re-entry capsule (KID). They were all intended for low Earth orbit, but now it's unclear what will happen to them.