• Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) failed to put its Earth Observation Satellite (EOS-09) in orbit after its trusted PSLV rocket developed a fault minutes after launch.

• In ISRO’s 101st mission from Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle  (PSLV-C61) lifted off at 5:59 am, only to experience an anomaly a little after six minutes into the flight.

• According to the data shared by ISRO, the PS1 (first stage) separation was scheduled for 111.64 seconds after lift-off, but it was achieved at 110 seconds. 

• Further, the second stage ignition of the rocket was targeted to be achieved at 111.84 seconds, but the process occurred at 110.2 seconds leaving a marginal difference.

• Similarly, the PS2 (second stage) separation was targeted at 264.34 seconds but it took place at 261.8 seconds.

• Although things were proceeding on expected lines, as understood by the regular announcements by the scientists over the progress of the mission, it was after reaching the third stage that a glitch surfaced.

• EOS-09 was a repeat satellite similar to EOS-04 launched in 2022. It was designed with the mission objective to ensure remote sensing data for the user community engaged in operational applications and to improve the frequency of observation.

• The mission’s payload, a Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) which is inside the satellite, is capable of providing images for various earth observation applications under all-weather conditions, day and night.

• This all-weather, round-the-clock imaging is vital for applications ranging from agriculture and forestry monitoring to disaster management, urban planning and national security.

• The mission was aimed to be a debris-free one.

• This was the third failure of the PSLV, ISRO’s trusted warhorse rocket that launched the Chandrayaan-1 and Mars Orbiter Mission. 

• The PSLV has had 63 launches so far. The previous failures were in 1993, the inaugural flight of the PSLV, and in 2017 when it did not succeed in putting in orbit a navigation satellite.

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