ISRO to relaunch PSLV in June after back-to-back failures, sabotage ruled out

New Delhi:

Union Science and Technology Minister Jitendra Singh on Monday said the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) will attempt another launch of its workhorse rocket, the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV), in June. He also ruled out any suggestion of sabotage following two back-to-back mission failures.

Addressing a press conference, Singh said the reasons behind the failures of the PSLV-C61 mission in May last year and the PSLV-C62 mission in January were different.

Failures not linked, says Jitendra Singh

“What happened last time has not happened now,” Singh said, referring to the two successive failures of the PSLV, which has a success rate of over 90 per cent.

Using an analogy, the minister explained the situation by saying, “Last time a bulb fused, this time there was a tripping outside”.

Responding to a question on whether sabotage was suspected in these strategic mission failures, Singh said, “As of now, we have not come across any such report”.

NVS-02 navigation satellite also faced issues

Apart from the two PSLV failures, a navigation satellite, NVS-02, launched by ISRO last year, failed to reach its intended orbit due to the malfunction of valves in the spacecraft’s thrusters.

June launch targeted after review and rectification

“Our probable next date, which we are very ambitiously targeting, is June, if we move ahead after screening the report of the committee, rectifying everything, and certifying ourselves,” Singh said.

He added that last-minute changes are always possible due to several unpredictable factors.

Committees set up to probe mission failures

The minister said ISRO has constituted separate internal and external failure assessment committees to analyse what went wrong in each of the missions.

ISRO’s credibility remains intact, says minister

Singh asserted that the recent failures have not dented confidence in ISRO or its launch vehicles. He said foreign customers have not withdrawn their plans to send satellites aboard ISRO rockets.

“Now, the question of credibility and private investors. We live in an evidence-based era,” Singh said.

No withdrawal by private or foreign clients

“I will tell you, this year we have 18 launches scheduled, of which six are private. None of them has withdrawn its request to launch. Which means they still trust us,” the minister said.

Singh also said ISRO rockets have three major launches scheduled next year from foreign countries—Japan, the United States, and France.

“None of them have shown any apprehension, because those who are in the business of space understand our capacity, our resilience, and our confidence better,” he added.

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