On May 17, 2025, an Indian launch of a radar imaging satellite ended in failure. A Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) launched from the Satish Dhawan Space Center at 8:29 p.m. Eastern, carrying the EOS-09 satellite as its payload.
The mission appeared normal until approximately six minutes after liftoff, during the third stage's solid-fuel burn. At around T+366 seconds, telemetry indicated a velocity slowdown, deviating from the planned trajectory. The ISRO webcast abruptly switched away from the telemetry display shortly after.
“Up to the second stage the performance was quite normal. The third stage motor started perfectly but during the functioning of the third stage we are seeing an observation, and the mission could not be accomplished,” explained V. Narayanan, ISRO chairman. He later mentioned a drop in chamber pressure within the third stage to Indian media, but offered no further details.
This marks the first PSLV failure since August 2017, when a payload fairing malfunction prevented a navigation satellite from reaching orbit. Other PSLV failures occurred only during its early launches in the 1990s.
The PSLV, despite launching only slightly more than 60 times, has been a cornerstone of India’s space program. This was the first PSLV launch of 2025, following three launches annually in the preceding three years.
EOS-09, mirroring the EOS-04 satellite launched in 2022, weighed nearly 1,700 kilograms at launch and housed a synthetic aperture radar payload. “EOS-09 is designed to provide continuous and reliable remote sensing data for operational applications across various sectors,” ISRO stated prior to the launch. EOS-04's use was widely believed to include military support in addition to civilian applications.