Indian rocket loses control after liftoff in latest setback to ISRO

Flew for most of its mission before an unexpected disturbance forced it off course

An Indian rocket carrying 16 payloads, including an earth observation satellite, went off course shortly after liftoff on Monday, marking a fresh setback for the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO).

The incident involved the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV-C62), a workhorse of India’s space programme, which has maintained a more than 90% success rate over nearly 60 missions. This is the second major anomaly for the PSLV in roughly eight months, raising concerns about its reliability.

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The PSLV-C62 lifted off from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre on Sriharikota Island at 10:18 a.m., carrying the EOS-N1 observation satellite along with 15 other payloads developed by startups and academic institutions in India and abroad.

According to ISRO mission control, the rocket performed normally for the majority of its flight before an unexpected disturbance caused it to deviate from its planned trajectory.

The PSLV-C62 mission encountered an anomaly during end of the PS3 stage. A detailed analysis has been initiated.

— ISRO (@isro) January 12, 2026

“The PSLV-C62 mission encountered an anomaly during the end of the PS3 stage. A detailed analysis has been initiated,” ISRO said in a statement, without providing further details on the cause of the anomaly or the rocket’s final position.