Thiruvananthapuram, Feb 3 India’s space establishment has treated with utmost seriousness the consecutive failures of the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV), long regarded as the most reliable launch vehicle in the country’s space programme.
The gravity of the situation was underscored by National Security Adviser (NSA) Ajit Doval’s visit to the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC) in Thumba, here to personally review the circumstances surrounding the setbacks. The ISRO unit there supervises the activities of the PSLV.
The visit took place a few days back.
Doval’s visit, undertaken a few days ago on the direct instructions of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, was aimed at examining whether the back-to-back mission failures had any national security implications, including the possibility of sabotage.
During his visit to the VSSC, the NSA, who is a member of the Space Commission, held detailed interactions with senior ISRO scientists and engineers and gathered first-hand technical inputs on the failures.
The PSLV missions, including the launch conducted on January 12, failed during the third stage of flight — one of the most critical phases of the launch sequence.
The recurrence of malfunction at the same stage in successive missions had raised concerns within the scientific and security establishment, prompting the high-level probe.
Following his return to New Delhi, Doval is learnt to have submitted a comprehensive report on the inquiry into the PSLV failures, ruling out anything untoward.
Union Minister of State for Space Jitendra Singh has also publicly stated that there was no evidence of foul play behind the failures.
However, the NSA's report is understood to have identified specific technical and procedural shortcomings that may have contributed to the setbacks.
Doval’s assessment is said to include recommendations for corrective measures to prevent a recurrence.
While the PSLV has earned global credibility as the “workhorse” of India’s space programme, the government is not inclined to dismiss two successive failures as routine technical glitches.
Corrective steps based on the findings are expected to be implemented before the vehicle returns to flight, as the ISRO seeks to restore confidence in its most trusted launch platform.
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