Daijiworld Media Network - Chennai
Chennai, Jan 14: A lone satellite, aptly named KID, managed to beat the odds and separate successfully from the Indian Space Research Organisation’s (ISRO) PSLV-C62 rocket, even as 15 other satellites were lost following an anomaly during the mission’s critical third stage. The mission, designated EOS-N1, was launched from Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh on Monday.
The 44.4-metre-tall, four-stage PSLV lifted off as scheduled at 10.18 am from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre. The objective of the mission was to deploy a primary Earth Observation satellite along with multiple co-passenger satellites into a 512-km Sun-Synchronous Orbit, after a flight lasting about 17 minutes.
The automatic launch sequence commenced after clearance from the mission director, with ISRO scientists providing real-time updates as the vehicle ascended. The initial phases of the flight proceeded as planned, with normal performance reported until the announcement that the third stage had ignited.
However, shortly afterwards, the situation changed at the Mission Control Centre.
15 satellites lost, but ‘KID’ survives
In what marks the second consecutive setback for ISRO’s PSLV, 15 of the 16 satellites aboard the rocket, including a foreign Earth Observation payload, failed to reach the intended orbit after the carrier vehicle encountered an “anomaly” during the third stage of the flight.
“Disturbances in the rocket and later deviation from the flight path were observed when strap-on motors were providing thrust during the flight’s third stage to propel the vehicle to the intended altitude,” ISRO chairman V Narayanan said, adding that a detailed analysis had been initiated to identify the cause.
While ISRO sources quoted by PTI said all 16 satellites were lost, one payload — KID (Kestrel Initial Technology Demonstrator) — appears to have survived. Developed by a Spanish start-up, Orbital Paradigm, KID is a small-scale prototype of a re-entry vehicle.
“Our KID capsule, against all odds, separated from PSLV-C62, switched on, and transmitted data. We’re reconstructing trajectory. Full report will come,” Orbital Paradigm said in a post on X.
Among the satellites that failed to reach orbit were DRDO’s Anvesha, described as a strategic “super-eye” capable of detecting military camouflage from nearly 500 km, AayulSAT, India’s first in-orbit fuelling satellite, and CGUSAT, a student-developed Low Earth Orbit satellite intended for emergency communication and disaster management. The primary Earth Observation satellite was built jointly by Thailand and the United Kingdom.
A similar mission, PSLV-C61-EOS-09, launched in May 2025, had also failed due to a motor pressure issue, which resulted in a drop in chamber pressure inside the motor casing.
A former senior ISRO scientist said it would take time for the agency to collect and analyse data, understand the root cause, and implement corrective measures. ISRO is expected to release its official findings in the coming days, he told PTI on condition of anonymity.
“It is a setback as the satellites did not reach the intended orbit and all satellites lost in space may be drifting as space debris,” he said.
ISRO’s response
Confirming the anomaly on its official X handle, ISRO stated: “The PSLV-C62 mission encountered an anomaly during the end of PS3 (third stage) of the vehicle. A detailed analysis has been initiated.”
The space agency did not provide further technical details and stopped short of formally declaring the mission a failure.
Addressing the media later, ISRO chief V Narayanan, who is also Secretary of the Department of Space, said, “As all of you are aware, today we attempted PSLV-C62/EOS-N1 mission… the mission could not proceed in the expected (flight) path. That is the information right now available.”
“We are going through the data and with the data collected from all the ground stations, and once the data analysis is completed, we shall come back to you,” he added.