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Sriharikota
The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) had planned a historic launch as part of their 101st Big Rocket launch on May 18th. The milestone saw the launch of Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV-C61), which had the Earth Observation Satellite, EOS-09 satellite on board. Although the launch started out perfectly, it failed just minutes later, losing the satellite.
The PSLV-C61 which was carrying the EOS-09 was supposed to deposit the satellite into the Sun Synchronous Polar Orbit (SSPO). The mission to put the satellite in SSPO failed just a few minutes after its launch. ISRO gave a statement clearing the air around what really happened saying that the 4-staged mission started off great but failed after crossing the second stage.
ISRO posted the clarification on its official social media handle and said, “Today 101st launch was attempted, PSLV-C61 performance was normal till 2nd stage. Due to an observation in the 3rd stage, the mission could not be accomplished.” They have also come out and assured everyone that they will be back with a proper analysis of the situation.
The mission was supposed to showcase the reliability of the PSLV which in the past has delivered major launches with all payloads and orbits. The official statement of ISRO stated that, “This mission continues the PSLV’s record of delivering reliable performance across a wide range of payloads and orbits.”
The launch was also an effort in promoting sustainability through the special EOS-09 satellites which was equipped to deorbiting fuel that would have allowed them a safer disposal after the mission is completed. The EOS-09 was an advanced satellite equipped with C-band synthetic aperture radar technology. It had the ability to capture high resolution images under any weather conditions which was devised to enhance the surveillance capability of the country. These satellites launch by ISRO are a very important component in the nation’s defence and security systems.
