Indian rocket launch fails, Earth-observation satellite lost

India's attempt to launch an Earth-observing radar satellite tonight (May 17) ended in failure.

The Indian Space Research Organisation's (ISRO) EOS-09 spacecraft lifted off atop a Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) rocket from Satish Dhawan Space Centre on Saturday at 8:29 p.m. EDT (0029 GMT or 5:59 a.m. India Standard Time on Sunday, May 18). The satellite was lost due to an issue with the third stage of the rocket about six minutes into the launch.

"The PSLV is a four stage vehicle. Up to the second stage, the performance was quite normal," ISRO Chairman V. Narayanan said in a televised statement after the launch. "Third stage, motor started perfectly, but during the functioning of the third stage, we are seeing a observation, and the mission could not be accomplished. After analysis, we shall come back."

ISRO’s 101st Launch | PSLV-C61 / EOS-09 | 18 May 2025 - YouTube

Watch On

ISRO officials reported the same statement on social media, referring to the rocket as PSLV-C61.

"PSLV-C61 performance was normal till 2nd stage. Due to an observation in 3rd stage, the mission could not be accomplished," ISRO stated on X.

The EOS-09 launch was intended as the ninth mission in India's Earth Observation Satellite series. The satellite was equipped with a synthetic aperture radar (SAR) payload, which had been it successfully deployed, would have allowed observations of our planet both day and night and through cloud cover.

The 3,735-pound (1,694 kilograms) EOS-09 had been scheduled to deploy from the PSLV's upper stage about 18 minutes after liftoff, at an altitude of 332 miles (535 kilometers).

"Its ability to provide round-the-clock, reliable intelligence is especially significant given ongoing security concerns along India’s borders with Pakistan and China," India Today wrote, before the launch failure.

EOS-09 was the second orbital liftoff of the year for India. The first occurred in January, when a Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle launched the NVS-02 navigation spacecraft to the final frontier.

Tonight's launch was the 101st to date for ISRO and the 63rd for the four-stage, 146-foot-tall (44.5 meters) PSLV. The workhorse rocket was flying in its "XL" configuration, which featured six strap-on solid rocket boosters. This was only the third failure in the rocket's 32-year history.