After two failed bids, ISRO to attempt another PSLV launch by June-end, early July

Following two consecutive third-stage failures of the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) — PSLV-C61 in May 2025 and PSLV-C62 in January 2026 — ISRO is pre...

What Happened

Following two consecutive third-stage failures of the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) — PSLV-C61 in May 2025 and PSLV-C62 in January 2026 — ISRO is preparing a fresh launch attempt targeted for June-end or early July 2026.
PSLV-C61 (May 18, 2025) failed due to a sudden drop in chamber pressure in the third-stage solid-fuel motor, losing the EOS-09 earth observation satellite equipped with Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR); this was ISRO's 101st mission.
PSLV-C62 (January 12, 2026) failed due to a deviation in roll-rate controls near the end of third-stage operation, resulting in the loss of 16 satellites including EOS-N1 (Anvesha), a DRDO maritime surveillance satellite; it was PSLV's 64th mission and the 9th commercial mission under NewSpace India Limited (NSIL).
Both failures involved different technical causes in the third stage, as confirmed by review committees; sabotage has been officially ruled out.
ISRO formed probe panels after each failure; the next mission is being scheduled only after completion of review committee recommendations and re-certification.

Static Topic Bridges

PSLV (Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle)

PSLV is ISRO's most versatile and reliable operational launch vehicle, having established itself as a workhorse for Earth observation and remote sensing satellite missions over three decades. Before the 2025–26 failures, it had a near-impeccable reliability record.

First successful flight: October 15, 1994 (PSLV-D2)
Propulsion stages: Four alternating stages — Stage 1 (solid, PS1, ~130 tonnes propellant), Stage 2 (liquid, PS2, VIKAS engine), Stage 3 (solid, PS3, ~8 tonnes propellant), Stage 4 (liquid, PS4, twin engines) — this makes PSLV a unique alternating solid-liquid design
Variants:
PSLV-G (standard): 6 solid strap-on boosters; ~1,678 kg to 622 km SSO
PSLV-XL: 6 extended solid strap-ons; ~1,800 kg to SSO — used for Chandrayaan-1, Mars Orbiter Mission (Mangalyaan), Chandrayaan-2 initial phase
PSLV-CA (Core Alone): No strap-on boosters; ~1,100 kg to SSO — lighter payloads
PSLV-NG (Next Generation): Under development — fully integrated solid stages for reduced turnaround time
Key landmark missions: Chandrayaan-1 (2008, lunar orbiter), Mars Orbiter Mission (2013, first Asian Mars mission), AstroSat (2015, India's first multi-wavelength space observatory), IRNSS/NavIC constellation satellites, RISAT-2B, record 104 satellites in a single launch (Feb 2017)
Orbital specialisation: Sun-Synchronous Orbit (SSO), Low Earth Orbit (LEO), transfer orbits; not designed for direct GTO injection (that is GSLV/LVM3's domain)
Launch site: Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC), Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh — First and Second Launch Pads (SLP and SLP-2)

Connection to this news: Two consecutive third-stage solid-motor failures have temporarily grounded PSLV, creating a backlog of pending missions and impacting commercial commitments.

PSLV vs GSLV vs LVM3 — India's Launch Vehicle Fleet

ISRO operates a family of launch vehicles differentiated by payload capacity and target orbit:

PSLV: ~1,800 kg to SSO / ~3,800 kg to LEO; four-stage alternating solid-liquid
GSLV Mk II: ~2,500 kg to GTO; three stages with cryogenic third stage (CE-7.5 engine); used for communication satellites and weather satellites (INSAT series)
LVM3 (formerly GSLV Mk III): ~4,000 kg to GTO / ~8,000 kg to LEO; India's heaviest operational launch vehicle; used for Chandrayaan-3, OneWeb constellation launches, Gaganyaan crew module tests
SSLV (Small Satellite Launch Vehicle): ~500 kg to SSO; three solid stages; designed for rapid, low-cost launch of small satellites; first successful flight in 2023

Connection to this news: The PSLV's temporary grounding has made clear the importance of redundancy in India's launch fleet; ISRO's development of SSLV and LVM3 provides partial mitigation.

India's Commercial Space Sector: IN-SPACe and NSIL

The Indian government has opened the space sector to private participation through two institutional reforms:

IN-SPACe (Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre): Established 2020 under DAE; single-window regulatory body authorising private sector space activities — launch, manufacturing, and services
NewSpace India Limited (NSIL): ISRO's commercial arm (PSU under DAE); manages commercial launches, satellite manufacturing, and technology transfer to industry; PSLV-C62 was NSIL's 9th commercial mission
Private launch vehicles: Skyroot Aerospace's Vikram-S (first private Indian rocket, November 2022 sub-orbital test); Agnikul Cosmos's Agnibaan (first semi-cryo engine test); Pixxel, Dhruva Space — growing small-sat ecosystem
Space Activities Bill: Draft under consideration to provide comprehensive legal framework for non-governmental space entities

Connection to this news: The PSLV failure directly impacts NSIL's commercial launch commitments to international customers, highlighting the reputational and economic stakes of launch reliability.

ISRO's Current Mission Pipeline

Gaganyaan: India's first crewed orbital spaceflight programme; uncrewed test flight (G1) planned before crewed mission; astronaut-candidates (Gaganauts) have completed training in Russia
SpaDeX (Space Docking Experiment): Successfully demonstrated in-space docking technology in early 2025 — making India the fourth country after USA, Russia, and China to achieve orbital docking
Chandrayaan-4: Planned lunar sample-return mission
Venus Orbiter Mission (Shukrayaan-1): In development
NISAR (NASA-ISRO SAR): Joint Earth observation satellite with NASA, planned launch on GSLV

Connection to this news: The review and re-certification process for PSLV's third stage has cascading effects on the mission schedule, potentially delaying several downstream payloads.

Key Facts & Data

PSLV-C61 failure date: May 18, 2025; payload lost: EOS-09 (SAR satellite); cause: third-stage chamber pressure drop / flex nozzle failure
PSLV-C62 failure date: January 12, 2026; satellites lost: 16 (including DRDO's EOS-N1/Anvesha + 15 co-passengers); cause: third-stage roll-rate deviation; this was the 64th PSLV mission
Sole survivor of C62: Spanish re-entry capsule KID (separated successfully, transmitted data for ~3 minutes)
Next PSLV launch target: June-end / early July 2026
Launch site: Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC-SHAR), Sriharikota (13.7°N, 80.2°E)
PSLV first launch: October 1994; before 2025 failures, had ~95%+ success rate over ~63 missions
Stage 3 of PSLV: Solid propellant (HTPB-based); this stage is the one that experienced anomalies in both failures
NSIL role: Commercial arm handling payload manifest for co-passenger missions
AERB equivalent for space: No separate body — ISRO is both launcher and regulator; IN-SPACe handles private sector authorisation