The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) on Sunday commenced a 22.5-hour countdown for the launch of the PSLV-C62 rocket, marking the country’s first space mission of 2026.
The Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle will deploy an Earth observation satellite along with 14 co-passenger satellites into a sun-synchronous orbit. The mission is being undertaken by NewSpace India Limited (NSIL), ISRO’s commercial arm, and involves payloads belonging to both domestic and international customers.
The lift-off has been rescheduled by a minute to 10.18 am on January 12, from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre at Sriharikota. The rocket has a lift-off mass of about 260 tonnes.
“Yes. Countdown started at 12.48 pm. 22 hours 30 minutes duration. Launch is at 10.18 hrs tomorrow,” ISRO sources informed.
Under the PSLV-C62/EOS-N1 mission, the primary payload, an Earth Observation Satellite developed jointly by Thailand and the United Kingdom, will be placed into orbit first. This will be followed by the deployment of 13 additional co-passenger satellites approximately 17 minutes after lift-off.
Also read: ISRO to launch Earth Observation Satellite on Jan 12
More than two hours after launch, ISRO scientists plan to demonstrate a technology experiment involving the Kestrel Initial Technology Demonstrator (KID) capsule, weighing about 25 kg, developed by a Spanish start-up.
According to ISRO, the fourth stage of the rocket (PS4) will be restarted to de-boost the capsule, placing it on a re-entry trajectory. Following separation, both the PS4 stage and the KID capsule are expected to re-enter the Earth’s atmosphere and splash down in the South Pacific Ocean.
The PSLV has completed 63 missions so far, including landmark launches such as Chandrayaan-1, the Mars Orbiter Mission, and Aditya-L1.
The previous PSLV mission, PSLV-C61, launched on May 18, 2025, carrying Earth Observation Satellite-09, could not be completed after an observation was detected in the rocket’s third stage.
Follow us
