Setback for ISRO as PSLV-C62 fails; Northeast’s first satellite LACHIT-1 lost

Sriharikota, Jan 12: The Indian Space Research Organisation’s (ISRO) PSLV-C62 rocket, carrying 16 satellites including LACHIT-1, the Northeast’s first satellite, encountered an anomaly on Monday, leading to the failure of the mission.

ISRO Chairman V. Narayanan said disturbances were observed in the vehicle, followed by a deviation from the intended flight path, when the strap-on motors were providing thrust during the mission’s third stage (PS3) to propel the rocket to its target altitude.

A detailed analysis has been initiated to identify the cause of the anomaly, he added.

Confirming the failure on social media, ISRO said, “The PSLV-C62 mission encountered an anomaly during the end of PS3 (third stage) of the vehicle. A detailed analysis has been initiated.”

As a result, the mission to place the satellites into their designated orbit could not be achieved, and all 16 satellites, including LACHIT-1, were lost.

Named after legendary Ahom general Lachit Borphukan, LACHIT-1, short for Live Amateur Communication Hub for Innovative Technologies–One, symbolised regional pride and technological aspiration.

Had it been successfully deployed and activated, the satellite would have been accessible to the global amateur radio community, enabling licensed operators worldwide to conduct satellite-based communication and experimentation.

The mission was expected to mark the Northeast’s formal entry into space technology, but the setback cut that milestone short.

Addressing a brief press conference later, Narayanan, who is also Secretary, Department of Space, said, “As all of you are aware, today we attempted the PSLV-C62/EOS-N1 mission. The mission could not proceed along the expected flight path. That is the information right now available.”

“We are going through the data collected from all ground stations, and once the analysis is completed, we shall come back to you,” he added.

This marks the second consecutive failure for the PSLV, following the unsuccessful PSLV-C61/EOS-09 mission in May 2025.

Earlier in the day, after the completion of a 22.5-hour countdown, the 44.4-metre-tall, four-stage rocket lifted off as scheduled at 10.18 am from the spaceport.

The mission aimed to deploy a primary Earth Observation satellite along with multiple co-passenger satellites into a 512-km Sun-Synchronous Orbit, after a flight duration of about 17 minutes.

The automatic launch sequence began following approval from the mission director, with ISRO scientists providing real-time updates as the vehicle ascended. The initial phases of the flight proceeded as planned.

However, shortly after the announcement that the third stage had ignited, an uneasy calm settled over the Mission Control Centre.

Explaining the sequence, Narayanan said, “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 observed increased disturbance in the vehicle, followed by a deviation in the flight path.”

With inputs from PTI