India's New Small Rocket Fails to Reach Target Orbit on Debut Flight
India's Small Satellite Launch Vehicle suffers a payload loss during its maiden flight due to a sensor logic failure that places the satellites in the wrong orbit. The space agency identifies the issue and assembles a committee ahead of the next developmental flight.
India's Small Satellite Launch Vehicle (SSLV) experiences a mission failure during its debut flight, losing both onboard payloads after the rocket places them into an elliptical orbit instead of a circular one. The Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) confirms that the satellites are no longer usable because the incorrect orbit causes them to descend back into Earth's atmosphere at their lowest point.
ISRO Chairman Shri Somanath states that the rocket's three main stages perform nominally, but a problem occurs in the final velocity trimming module during satellite separation at 356 kilometers. He identifies the root cause as a failure of logic to recognize a sensor failure, and notes that every other new element incorporated into the rocket works very well.
The 111-foot-tall SSLV serves as India's entry into the growing small satellite launch market, designed to carry up to 500 kilograms to low Earth orbit on demand. The lost payloads include an Earth observation satellite called Eos-02 and a student-built CubeSat carrying 75 smaller experiments, marking a disappointing end to an otherwise historic launch attempt.