V. Narayanan, ISRO Chairman
Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) Chairman V. Narayanan said on Tuesday that he does not consider the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) C61 and C62 missions a failure but a learning opportunity. “Whenever there is a failure, we don’t see it as a failure, but we see it as an opportunity to learn and strengthen our system,” said Dr. Narayanan while inaugurating the 11th Biennial Conference of the ISRO Pensioners Association here.
PSLV-C61/EOS-09 was launched on 18 May 2025, but the mission could not be completed due to what ISRO called at the time “third-stage observation”. The PSLV-C62/EOS-N1 mission, which launched this January, also proved disappointing after an “anomaly” at the end of the PS3 phase.
Dr. Narayanan said the two PSLV flights “marginally missed” their targets. Recalling how ISRO overcame the failure of the first Satellite Launch Vehicle (SLV) mission in the late 1970s, which failed to reach its destination, the ISRO Chairman continued to script a major milestone with its 100th launch from the Satish Dhawan Space Center at Sriharikota on January 29, 2025.
The event was presided over by BN Suresh, Chancellor, Indian Institute of Space Science and Technology. Former ISRO Chairman K. Sivan, KELTRON Chairman N. Narayana Moorthi and Ananth Technologies Chairman Subba Rao Pavuluri were felicitated at the event. Space Center Director Vikram Sarabhai A. Rajarajan, National Earth Remote Sensing Center Director Prakash Chauhan, ISRO Pensioners Association General Secretary Johnson S. Fernandez and President AG Rajendran also spoke.
Published – 24 March 2026 19:10 IST
