ISRO’s 101st launch, EOS-09 mission, scheduled for May 18

 The launch of EOS-09 (also referred to as RISAT-1B) was conducted by ISRO on May 18, 2025, using a PSLV-C61 rocket from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota.

On May 18, 2025, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) faced a problem during its 101st space mission. The PSLV-C61 rocket, which was carrying a satellite called EOS-09 to observe the Earth, took off at 5:59 AM from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota. The first and second parts of the flight went well, but something went wrong in the third part of the rocket’s journey. Because of this, the mission failed.

ISRO Chairman V. Narayanan said that the third stage of the rocket started working normally, but the pressure inside it dropped while it was running. Because of this, the satellite could not reach its planned path in space, and the EOS-09 satellite was lost.

This was the 63rd flight of the PSLV rocket and the 27th time it used the XL version. Even though this mission failed, ISRO has a strong history of successful launches. A special team has been set up to find out what went wrong and to suggest ways to fix the problem for future missions.

🚀 Mission: EOS-09 (RISAT-1B)

Launch Date: May 18, 2025

Launch Vehicle: PSLV-C61 (in XL configuration)

Launch Site: Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikota

Mission Type: Earth Observation

Payload: EOS-09 Satellite with C-band Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR)

Objective: High-resolution, all-weather, day-and-night imaging for applications in agriculture, forestry, soil moisture estimation, disaster management, and surveillance.

❌ Outcome: Mission Failure

Initial Success: Lift-off and first two stages proceeded as planned.

Failure Point: An anomaly in the third stage of the PSLV rocket.

Problem Identified: Sudden drop in chamber pressure in the third stage.

Result: Satellite did not reach its intended orbit and was lost.

🛰️ Significance of EOS-09

EOS-09 was designed to enhance India’s remote sensing and strategic observation capabilities. It was the follow-up to RISAT-1, launched in 2012.

🧪 What Happens Next?

ISRO has formed a Failure Analysis Committee (FAC) to investigate:

The root cause of the third stage anomaly

Potential fixes and precautions for upcoming missions

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