ISRO Probes PSLV Failures, Aims for Fresh Launch in June; Satellite Firms Keep Faith
February 2, 2026
The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is looking into why its Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) failed twice recently. An external team is helping with the investigation. Union Minister Jitendra Singh said on February 2, 2026, that ISRO is eyeing a fresh launch in June.
The last rocket, PSLV C-62, failed on January 12 when its third stage did not ignite. It crashed into the sea and lost 16 satellites. This echoed a similar failure on May 18, 2025, with PSLV C-61, where the same stage failed and destroyed the EOS-09 strategic satellite.
Usually, ISRO forms a Failure Analysis Committee to find the cause after rocket failures. But no reports have been shared publicly for these two failures. Since 1993, PSLV has a record of over 90% success and launched nearly 350 satellites.
Dr. Singh explained that the two failures had different causes. "What happened last time has not happened now. (As an analogy), say, the light has gone off. The last time it happened because a bulb had fused. This time, it tripped," he said.
He stressed that expert teams within ISRO know how to find these problems. Still, a third-party review is underway to boost public confidence. ISRO plans up to 18 launches this year, including six with private satellite firms. None have pulled out, showing trust remains strong.
Foreign launches from Japan, the US, and France are also scheduled next year, with no concerns reported, Singh added. The Failure Analysis Committee's report on the May 2025 failure was sent to the Prime Minister before the January 2026 launch, but its findings were not made public.
This expert committee, appointed by the ISRO Chairman, studies major incidents and advises on fixes before rockets fly again. It includes ISRO and academic experts.
ISRO’s PSLV remains a trusted workhorse in satellite launches despite these hiccups, and the agency aims to bounce back soon.
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Isro
Pslv
Rocket Failure
Satellite launch
Jitendra singh
Space mission
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