ISRO requires 2-3 years to replace 3 lost strategic satellites
21 Jan 2026

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) will take two to three years to replace three strategic satellites that were lost in the last year.

The estimate comes after a string of failures in six space launch missions conducted by ISRO from Indian soil over the past 12 months.

The failed missions include GSLV-F15/NVS-02 (satellite failure) in January 2025, PSLV-C61/EOS-09 (mid-flight rocket failure and satellite loss) in May 2025, and PSLV-C62/EOS-N1 (mid-flight rocket failure and satellite loss) this month.

Lost satellites critical for India's national security
Security impact

The three Centre-funded satellites lost in these failed missions were critical for India's national security.

Each satellite was a unique version with different size, mass, and technological capability. This necessitated different types of components from various sources.

Even when all parts are available, it takes several months or even years to assemble, integrate and test a whole satellite.

ISRO's reliance on imported materials for satellites
Import dependency

ISRO has said that while Indian industries provide most of the materials used in rockets and satellites, some critical materials and space-grade electronics components are still being imported.

The import component is roughly 10% for a rocket and 50-55% for a satellite.

This includes memory chips, sensors, onboard computers, relays among other items.

These are imported mainly due to non-availability of certain critical technologies in India.

ISRO's future plans
Upcoming missions

Despite the challenges, ISRO is planning a series of ambitious scientific and exploratory satellite-specific missions.

These include Chandrayaan-4 (to bring back samples from the Moon) and Chandrayaan-5 (LUPEX, being developed with Japan's JAXA).

The PSLV-C61 rocket failed in May 2025 and has been grounded for eight months. The PSLV-C62 launch this month was its comeback flight but it also suffered a failure.

Launch priorities and future challenges
Launch strategy

ISRO has been saying it would perform over 10 launches a year, but this has never been demonstrated. Some of the launches are commercial ones for foreign customers.

For the foreseeable future, ISRO is the only entity in India capable of launching satellites weighing over 500kg.

Even when private companies start launching, it would take a few successful attempts before they could be trusted with national security satellites.