Rocket Motor’s ‘misconduct’ may have contributed to the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) workhorse rocket failure on its 63rd flight, suggesting experts. The EOS-9 monitoring satellite cannot be completed to launch the 63rd Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) of ISRO, when PSLV-C61 faced anomalies in the third of its four stages.
The PSLV -C61 was traveling an unprecedented 20,160 kmph – an airplane is about 28 times at the speed of an airplane – when some 888 km from Sriharikota over the Indian Ocean, it fell 6.26 minutes in an 18 -minute flight.
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Experts say the third phase did not explode, as was estimated. In fact, as the rocket carried the coast together during the height and losing loud, even the fourth stage was ignited. It is still being analyzed as to why the rocket motor “misbehaved” after 100 seconds of igniting the third phase.
Rocket debris and satellite are deeply deeply inside the Indian Ocean. Typically, ISRO tries to recover the debris for hardware failure analysis but the deep depth of the Indian Ocean creates a challenge.
“Today, we targeted the 101st launch from Sriharikota, PSLVC6-1 EOS-09 Mission. PSLV is a four-step vehicle and until the second phase, the performance was normal. The third phase of the motor started completely, but during the work, during the work, we are watching an observation and the mission cannot be fulfilled,” ISRO Chairman V. Narayan said.
Shri Narayanan said that “there was a decline in the chamber pressure of the motor case”.
“We are studying the entire performance. We will return as soon as possible,” he said.
Experts suggest that in the third stage of the rocket motor, there are two weak points – a nozzle and melar joint and top at the top. It seems that burning hydroxyl-terminated polybutadine (HTPB) fuel hot gases enter some sensitive areas and cause failure.
Former President of ISRO, Dr. G Madhavan Nair said that he was “surprised and surprised that a solid-fuel rocket motor with a significant record of 62 gradual launch failed in this way”. Dr. Nair, a rocket specialist, who played an important role as a project director in mastery in the PSLV rocket, estimates that “a potentially rupture in the fiber cover of about 8-ton rocket motor may cause failure”.
Dr. Nair also suggested a quality control or check-out lapse.
All about Earth Overview Satellite-9 (EOS-9), PSLV-C61 on board
The rocket on the board was Earth Overview Satellite -9 (EOS -9), which was designed to provide continuous and reliable remote sensing data for operating applications in various fields. If it was kept in orbiting 500 km from the Earth’s surface, it would have increased India’s surveillance capabilities a few days after the enmity of India and Pakistan. It will take a few years to make its replacement.
Although EOS-9 cannot be placed in class, four radar satellites and eight cartosat maintain vigilance. EOS-9, however, had the ability to continue monitoring due to its synthetic aperture radar (SAR) in all weather conditions and at night. In addition to maintaining the eye of a hawk with India’s borders, it would have been important for applications ranging from agriculture and forestry monitoring to disaster management, urban planning and national security.
ISRO’s EOS-9 satellite launch failed. What next
In 63 launch, PSLV has failed only four times. With a success rate of more than 94 percent, PSLV is considered a highly reliable rocket.
At its last launch on 30 December 2024, it gave India a highly challenging Spadx Mission. Earlier, on 5 December, 2024, it launched an accurate launch to the European Space Agency on its probe -3 satellite mission.
Typically, an internal ISRO ‘Failure Analysis Committee’ is established, which distributes its conclusions in a timely manner. Sometimes, if the government has a will, an external failure analysis committee that involves non-eisro experts also looks at such failures. ISRO usually does not take insurance for its missions because sovereign government takes liability.
Director of National Aerospace Laboratories (NAL), Bangalore, Dr. Abhay a. “ISRO always checks completely failure and fixes problems,” says Pashilkar.
The current ISRO chairman, a rocket specialist, led the committee who faced the problem in the lander of Chandrayaan -2. When it was fixed, ISRO bounced back with a highly successful Chandrayaan -3 mission.
The committee’s report in the past was made public, but in recent times, they have been kept in wrapped. This is, from an agency where the junior most engineer has the freedom to question the chairman of ISRO on technical grounds.
At least six important missions for PSLVs are rowed, including the first non-iSo-made PSLV rockets by a consortium of L&T and Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL). It may be affected by some delay.
ISRO is not added to the shock. Former President of ISRO, Dr. S Somnath is confident that the space agency will soon break the discrepancy and find the way forward.
Experts say that ISRO has penance to bounce back from tomorrow’s set very quickly.
“I know about the formidable challenges we encountered during the development of the third phase solid motor-an attempt marked by many failures. At this stage it is unusual to resume such discrepancies. Nevertheless, I am sure that the team will identify the root cause,” Dr. Somnath said.
“In these years, such challenges have only strengthened our belief that failure is never defeated, but a formidable tutor. Every huge success of ISRO has been forged in the crucible of adversity – which is deeply learned and shaped by texts applied deeply.”
