The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO)’s PSLV-C62 mission carrying the EOS-N1 earth observation satellite failed to finish its intended trajectory on Monday (January 12, 2026) after an anomaly was detected during the end of the third stage of the launch vehicle, prompting a detailed analysis.
“Today we attempted the PSLV-C62/EOS-N1 Mission. The PSLV is a four-stage vehicle with two solid stages and two liquid stages. The performance of the vehicle up to the end of the third stage was as expected. Close to the end of the third stage, we saw some disturbance in the vehicle roll rates, and subsequently, there is a deviation observed in the flight path. We are analysing the data, and we shall come back at the earliest,” ISRO Chairman V. Narayanan said.
On May 18, 2025, while ISRO attempted to launch the EOS-09 satellite aboard the PSLV-C61 mission, it couldn’t complete it. It was also due to an anomaly in the third stage of the rocket.
What do two PSLV mission failures in a row mean for ISRO? | Analysis
After a 22.5-hour countdown, the PSLV-C62 with the EOS-N1 satellite and 15 co-passenger satellites, developed by startups and academia from India and abroad, lifted off from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota at 10.17 a.m.
The EOS-N1 earth observation satellite is said to be built for strategic purposes. “It is a commercial mission of NewSpace India Limited (NSIL). EOS-N1 and 14 co-passenger satellites will be injected into a Sun Synchronous Orbit, and the KID Capsule into a re-entry trajectory,” ISRO had said in a statement.
It added that after the injection of EOS-N1 and 14 satellites, the PS4 stage would be restarted to de-boost and enter a re-entry trajectory, followed by KID Capsule separation. “Both PS4 stage and KID capsule will re-enter Earth’s atmosphere and the impact will be in the South Pacific Ocean,” the statement added.
Also Read I Why ISRO’s next big challenge is to succeed on an industrial scale
The 14 other co-passengers were the Theos-2 earth observation satellite built jointly by Thailand and UK SSTL (UK), CGUSAT, DSUSAT and LACHIT by Dhruva Space (India), MOI-1 by Dhruva Space and Takeme2Space (India), Thybolt-3 by Dhruva Space and Don Bosco University (India), Munal by Nepal University Antharkshya Pratishtan (Nepal) and India’s External Affairs Ministry, KID by Orbital Paradigm (Spain) and RIDE! (France), Edusat, Uaisat, Galaxy Explorer, Orbital Temple and Aldebaran-1 by AlltoSpace (Brazil), Sanskarsat by Laxman Gyanpith (India), and AyulSat by OrbitAid (India).
Financial fallout
The financial burden for the satellites lost in the failed PSLV-C62 mission falls on different parties, depending on the nature of the satellite. In the space industry, there’s no single payer for a failed mission; instead, the loss is absorbed by a mix of State funding and insurance claims.
Governments typically don’t purchase commercial insurance for their own strategic or military satellites because the premiums are very high. In the present instance, the direct financial loss of the EOS-N1 satellite, developed by DRDO, will be borne by the State, and DRDO will likely have to seek fresh budgetary approval to build a replacement.
The co-passenger satellites from private enterprises, including Indian startups and international entities, would have purchased policies that pay out a lump sum in the event of a ‘total loss’ during the launch phase. If a specific entity didn’t purchase insurance, that company must absorb the total loss itself.
NewSpace India Limited (NSIL), ISRO’s commercial arm, is likely to have had contracts with the private customers. While NSIL generally doesn’t pay for the satellite itself, the contract might include a re-flight guarantee or a refund of the launch fee if the mission fails. This said, ISRO or NSRIL is not liable for the value of the customer’s satellite unless gross negligence is proven, which is rare. The standard industry practice is a ‘waiver of liability’ where both the launcher and the satellite owner agree not to sue each other for damages.
