Tough Timing

The failure of ISRO’s PSLV-C61 mission to place the EOS-09 earth observation satellite into a sun-synchronous orbit has raised critical concerns about India’s satellite launch reliability, especially amidst growing military and civilian demand for real-time surveillance and strategic data.

Technical and Strategic Significance of EOS-09 Failure

• Mission Capabilities and Objectives: EOS-09 was equipped with Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) and a C-band data link, designed to capture high-resolution images under all weather conditions, serving civilian purposes like land-use mapping and hydrology as well as defence surveillance in hostile scenarios.
• Symbolic and Political Importance: The unusual invitation extended to Members of Parliament to witness a launch of an ostensibly civilian satellite suggests that EOS-09 had strategic implications, particularly in light of ongoing tensions with Pakistan.
• Technical Fault in Launch Sequence: ISRO confirmed a third-stage malfunction in the PSLV shortly after liftoff, preventing the satellite from reaching its target altitude — a reminder that even well-tested vehicles like PSLV are not immune to failure.

Strategic Defence Context and Challenges

• India’s Space-Based Surveillance-3 Programme: India has launched the Space-Based Surveillance-3 initiative, aiming to build 52 surveillance satellites, with 31 from the private sector, which still depends heavily on ISRO’s expertise and guidance.
• Operational Gaps in Military Surveillance: Operation Sindoor exposed India’s dependence on foreign commercial operators for real-time surveillance, indicating a gap in indigenous space-based military reconnaissance capabilities.
• High Stakes Amidst Tight Deadlines: With military and environmental demands rising, developers face increasing time constraints, yet must maintain cost-efficiency and mission reliability, posing a tri-fold challenge for India’s space programme.

Institutional Capacity and Future Considerations

• Multiple Pressures on ISRO: ISRO is under pressure to manage a crowded launch manifest, undertake human spaceflight programmes, and maintain data acquisition pipelines, straining its existing R&D and manufacturing resources.
• Recent Track Record of Launch Failures: The PSLV-C61 failure comes after the January 2025 failure of the NVS-02 navigation satellite, raising concerns about recurrent performance issues amidst growing international competition.
• Call for Increased Resource Allocation: Given the strategic demands and technical complexities, it is imperative to augment ISRO’s funding and infrastructure, ensuring its ability to deliver on both military requirements and civilian innovation goals.

Practice Question