NEW DELHI: An Indian rocket hit a snag during its launch on Monday (Jan 12), forcing a deviation in flight path as it carried an Earth observation satellite and commercial payloads, the country’s space agency said.
The PSLV-C62, a four-stage launch vehicle, “encountered an anomaly” towards the end of the third stage, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) posted on X, without saying exactly what went wrong.
“A detailed analysis has been initiated,” it added.
A livestream of the launch shows the rocket blasting into the sky.
However, a glitch led to a deviation in its flight path, ISRO chief V Narayanan said.
India’s PSLV rocket, long considered the workhorse of the national space programme, has launched several of the country’s flagship missions, including its first lunar and Mars orbiters.
In 2017, it set a world record by launching 104 satellites in a single mission.
The PSLV-C62 rocket which launched on Monday was carrying an “earth observation satellite along with 15 co-passenger satellites” from domestic and international customers, ISRO said in a separate statement.
“Close to the end of the third stage, we are seeing a little more disturbance in the vehicle,” Narayanan told India’s state broadcaster Doordarshan.
“Subsequently, there is a deviation observed in the vehicle flight path.”
The world’s most populous country has flexed its spacefaring ambitions in the last decade, with its space programme growing considerably in size and momentum, matching the achievements of established powers at a much cheaper price tag.
In August 2023, it became the fourth nation to land an unmanned craft on the Moon after Russia, the United States and China.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2024 announced plans to send a man to the Moon by 2040.
https://www.channelnewsasia.com/asia/indian-rocket-hits-snag-during-launch-5853641
