India is targeting the launch of its first mission of 2026 on January 12. ISRO‘s PSLV-C62 rocket will lift off at 10:17 am IST from Satish Dhawan Space Centre’s First Launch Pad at Sriharikota with the EOS-N1 (Anvesha) satellite as the primary payload. This Earth-observation satellite is reportedly designed to improve India’s remote sensing capabilities in sectors like agriculture, mapping of urban areas and environment monitoring.
The Launch of PSLV-C62 Mission is scheduled on 12 January 2026 at 10:17 hrs IST from First Launch Pad (FLP), SDSC SHAR, Sriharikota.
Public can witness the launch from Launch View Gallery at SDSC SHAR, Sriharikota by registering through online from the following link…
— ISRO (@isro) January 6, 2026
ISRO will seek redemption with the next PSLV mission as the rocket failed to deploy the EOS-09 satellite in May 2025 on the agency’s 101st overall launch attempt. The PSLV-C60 mission was declared unsuccessful due to an anomaly in the rocket’s third stage seven minutes into the flight, preventing the satellite from reaching its intended orbit.
What more does ISRO’s PSLV-C62 mission entail?
The EOS-N1 satellite will be just one of the many payloads the PSLV rocket is carrying. According to India Today, there are 15 passenger satellites built by Indian and foreign companies that are availing a ride aboard the PSLV.
Among these satellites is AayulSAT, built by Bengaluru-based OrbitAID Aerospace. In a statement on X, OrbitAID said that “AayulSAT will demonstrate on-orbit propellant, power & data transfer using OrbitAID’s patented SIDRP, qualifying India’s first commercial docking & refueling interface at TRL-9.”
OrbitAID intends to build a fuel station in space to offer refuelling and servicing to spacecraft by utilising docking technology.
Another major payload is the MOI-1, an AI-powered satellite built by Hyderabad startups TakeMe2Space and EON Space Labs to demonstrate Earth-imaging capabilities. TakeMe2Space completed the first demonstration of MOI-TD – India’s first AI lab in space – in January 2025 on ISRO’s POEM platform launched on the PSLV-C60 mission. While in space, the company validated critical components like sensors, actuators, subsystems and AI protocol necessary for future missions.
EON Space Labs, on the other hand, recently completed a thermo-vacuum test of its compact space telescope meeting NASA qualification standards. The PSLV will also carry the Indo-Mauritius Joint Satellite and the Kestrel Initial Demonstrator by Spanish company Orbital Paradigm that has designed a 25-kg reentry capsule.
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