PSLV-C62 carrying EOS-N1 and 15 co-passengers fails after third-stage anomaly
ISRO's PSLV-C62/EOS-N1 mission lifted off from the First Launch Pad at Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikota on 12 January 2026 but failed to place its satellites in orbit after an anomaly near the end of the third (PS3) stage.
Summary
The PSLV-C62/EOS-N1 mission, the 64th flight of ISRO's Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle, lifted off from the First Launch Pad at Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikota on 12 January 2026 but could not place its satellites in the intended orbit. ISRO said the first two stages performed normally, but an anomaly occurred near the end of the third (PS3) stage, and Chairman V. Narayanan said roll-rate disturbances were followed by a deviation in the flight path. The rocket, a PSLV-DL variant with two solid strap-on motors, carried the EOS-N1 earth observation satellite and 15 co-passenger satellites in NewSpace India Limited's ninth dedicated commercial mission. NSIL said telemetry was still received from the KID re-entry capsule of a Spanish start-up, which had been planned for ballistic re-entry. The failure followed that of PSLV-C61 in May 2025, making it the second PSLV failure in a row.
Key facts
- Mission
- PSLV-C62 / EOS-N1 — 64th PSLV flight
- Launch
- 12 January 2026, First Launch Pad, SDSC Sriharikota
- Vehicle
- PSLV-DL with two solid strap-on motors
- Payload
- EOS-N1 earth observation satellite + 15 co-passengers
- Failure
- Anomaly near end of third stage (PS3); satellites not placed in orbit
- Commercial
- NSIL's 9th dedicated commercial mission
- KID capsule
- Spanish start-up re-entry demonstrator; telemetry received
- Previous failure
- PSLV-C61, May 2025
Practice MCQs 4 questions
During which stage did the anomaly occur that caused the PSLV-C62/EOS-N1 mission to fail on 12 January 2026?
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Correct answer: C — Third stage (PS3)
ISRO and NSIL: the first two stages performed nominally, but an anomaly near the end of the PS3 (third) stage meant the satellites could not be placed in orbit.
PSLV-C62, launched on 12 January 2026, was which flight of the PSLV?
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Correct answer: C — 64th
ISRO: the PSLV-C62 mission was the 64th flight of PSLV, using the PSLV-DL variant with two solid strap-on motors.
The PSLV-C62/EOS-N1 mission was the ninth dedicated commercial mission of which organisation?
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Correct answer: B — NewSpace India Limited
ISRO: PSLV-C62/EOS-N1 was the 9th dedicated commercial mission undertaken by NewSpace India Limited (NSIL).
Consider the following statements about the PSLV-C62 mission (January 2026): 1. It carried the EOS-N1 satellite and 15 co-passenger satellites. 2. Telemetry was received from the KID re-entry capsule of a Spanish start-up. 3. It was the first failure of a PSLV since 2017. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
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Correct answer: B — 1 and 2 only
ISRO and NSIL confirm statements 1 and 2. Statement 3 is wrong: the previous PSLV mission, PSLV-C61 in May 2025, had also failed (Rediff, Times of India).