India confirms 18 space launches in 2026 despite PSLV setbacks India’s space program is pressing ahead with its full 2026 launch schedule despite last month’s Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle failure, Union Minister Jitendra Singh confirmed Saturday at an innovation summit in Chennai.
Speaking at the Research, Industry, Startup, and Entrepreneurship (RISE) Conclave, Singh dismissed reports of cancellations or delays, stating that the Indian Space Research Organisation’s “confidence and credibility remain intact.” All 18 planned launches for 2026 will proceed, including six missions involving private sector participation, he said. Gaganyaan Progress Continues.
Singh confirmed that the first uncrewed Gaganyaan mission carrying Vyommitra, ISRO’s female humanoid robot, is expected before the end of 2026. The robotic test flight will validate critical life support systems, avionics, and crew module performance ahead of India’s first crewed spaceflight, which remains on track for 2027.
Vyommitra, whose name combines the Sanskrit words for “space” and “friend,” is designed to simulate human functions in orbit and monitor environmental conditions inside the crew module. ISRO Chairman V. Narayanan had previously stated that approximately 90 percent of development work for the Gaganyaan program has been completed.
PSLV Recovery Plans
The minister indicated that the PSLV is expected to return to flight as early as June or July 2026, following completion of failure analysis and certification. The PSLV-C62 mission failed on January 11 when an anomaly occurred during the rocket’s third stage, resulting in the loss of 16 satellites including DRDO’s strategic hyperspectral imaging satellite.
The failure marked the second consecutive setback for the PSLV, following a similar third-stage issue during the PSLV-C61 mission in May 2025. Singh clarified that the causes of the two failures were different, using an analogy: “Last time a bulb fused, this time there was a tripping outside.”
Confidence Unshaken
Despite the back-to-back failures, Singh emphasized that no foreign or private customers have withdrawn their launch requests. “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 None of them has withdrawn its request to launch.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,” he said in earlier remarks.
ISRO has established both internal failure analysis committees and a third-party appraisal process to investigate the anomalies and ensure thorough rectification before resuming PSLV flights. explain simple words.