India's first space mission of the year fails to proceed: ISRO

India's first space mission of this year with a rocket carrying an advanced earth observation satellite meant for boosting the military's surveillance of its borders today failed to proceed as expected due to "some disturbance," the country's national space agency announced.

Addressing a press conference soon after the launch of the rocket from India's only spaceport at Sriharikota, about 100km from Chennai, this morning, Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) Chairman Dr V Narayanan said the rocket deviated from its flight path at the end of the third stage and as a result the mission could not proceed as expected.

"We attempted the PSLV-C62 EOS-N1 mission. The PSLV is a four-stage vehicle - the first stage is a solid motor with two strap-ons, the second stage is liquid, the third stage is solid, and the fourth stage is liquid……However, near the end of the third stage, we observed some disturbance in the vehicle and there was a deviation in its flight path. As a result, the mission could not proceed as expected," he said.

Narayanan said ISRO is "now analysing the data from all ground stations and once the analysis is complete, we will come back to you."

Earlier, the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle rocket carrying the primary payload earth observation satellite EOS-N1 codenamed "Anvesha," lifted off from the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO)'s at 10:18 IST from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, about 100 km from Chennai, ISRO said.

The rocket also carried 17 other secondary satellites including a European demonstrator satellite and 17 other satellites belonging to Indian and foreign start-ups and agencies.

The Anvesha, a hyperspectral imaging satellite developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), was designed to operate across hundreds of wavelengths, enabling precise identification of materials on the ground. The satellite was expected to strengthen India's surveillance capabilities, providing high-resolution intelligence for national security, border monitoring, and strategic mapping.

Significantly, today's mission also carried a satellite which would have tested India's first on-orbit satellite refueling capability.

EOS-N1 is a hyperspectral imaging satellite developed primarily for DRDO. It is capable of "seeing" in hundreds of wavelengths to identify materials on the ground - making it a high-priority asset for national security and surveillance. It will help India secure its borders and also be used in fields like agriculture, urban mapping and environmental observation.

Besides EOS-N1, 18 secondary payloads, including Europe's Kestrel Initial Demonstrator, will piggyback on the primary satellite and was to have been placed in space.

Among other secondary payloads on board the rocket were cubesats from Indian startups and universities.