Sriharikota: India’s Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) mission this morning encountered an anomaly after liftoff, with the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) confirming that a deviation was observed during the rocket’s third stage.

ISRO Chairman Dr. V. Narayanan said the launch data is being analysed and that the space agency will share further details at the earliest, stopping short of declaring the mission either a success or a failure.

The 64th PSLV mission, PSLV-C62, carrying EOS-N1, lifted off from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikota, at 10.18 am, marking a crucial flight for the launch vehicle following its failure in 2025.

According to ISRO, the initial phase of launch proceeded as planned. The four-stage rocket’s first and second stages performed nominally. However, a deviation was detected during third stage, causing the mission to veer off the expected trajectory.

Dr. Narayanan later stated that the mission could not proceed along the planned path, though he refrained from categorising it as either a success or a failure. Typically, any anomaly during the PSLV’s third stage results in a near-total mission failure.

The mission was carrying 16 satellites, including EOS-N1 and Anvesha, a surveillance satellite developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO).