riharikota, India – May 18, 2025 — India’s ambitious Earth-observation satellite mission suffered a major setback on Saturday as the 1,696-kg satellite failed just minutes after liftoff from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota.
The satellite, designed to enhance India’s capabilities in environmental monitoring, disaster management, and agricultural planning, was launched aboard a PSLV (Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle). However, shortly after stage separation, the mission encountered an anomaly that led to the loss of the satellite.
The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) confirmed the failure, stating, “The launch vehicle performance was nominal up to the second stage, but a deviation was observed in the third stage, resulting in mission failure. An internal review is underway.”
This mission was expected to provide high-resolution imagery and critical data for strategic and civilian use. The failure marks a rare misstep for ISRO, which has seen a series of successful launches in recent years, including the highly acclaimed Chandrayaan-3 lunar mission.
Experts say the failure could delay future Earth-observation missions and affect ongoing projects that rely on satellite imagery.
While the exact cause is yet to be determined, ISRO assured the public that corrective measures will be taken after a detailed investigation.
🚀 Key Details:
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Satellite Weight: 1,696 kg
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Mission Objective: Earth observation, disaster management, and environmental monitoring
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Vehicle: PSLV
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Status: Mission failed minutes after launch
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Next Steps: ISRO will conduct a high-level failure analysis
