India's space ambitions suffered a major setback as Isro's PSLV-C62 mission ended in failure, with all 16 satellites lost despite a spectacular liftoff from Sriharikota on January 12, 2026. The 260-tonne PSLV-DL variant thundered skyward at 10:17 AM IST, performing nominally through the first two stages and separation, captivating viewers nationwide.

India's first space mission of this year with a rocket carrying an advanced earth observation satellite meant for boosting the military's surveillance of its borders today failed to proceed as expected due to "some disturbance," the country's national space agency announced.

"We attempted the PSLV-C62 EOS-N1 mission. The PSLV is a four-stage vehicle - the first stage is a solid motor with two strap-ons, the second stage is liquid, the third stage is solid, and the fourth stage is liquid……However, near the end of the third stage, we observed some disturbance in the vehicle and there was a deviation in its flight path. As a result, the mission could not proceed as expected," he said.

Narayanan said ISRO is "now analysing the data from all ground stations and once the analysis is complete, we will come back to you."