Ajit Doval visited Thiruvananthapuram following failure of PSLV mission: Reports

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Reports say that National Security Advisor Ajit Doval reportedly visited Thiruvananthapuram to inquire into the failure of the PSLV mission, which is considered a matter of national importance. Sources said that Doval submitted a detailed report to the Department of Space. However, official details regarding the timing of his visit have not been disclosed.

Based on Ajit Doval’s report, Union Minister of State for Space Jitendra Singh informed the media that the PSLV mission failure was not caused by sabotage. The PSLV mission failed twice - once earlier and again on January 12. On both occasions, the failure occurred during the third stage of the launch.

Following the repeated failures, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) constituted a special failure analysis committee. The investigation was led by a team headed by former ISRO Chairman Dr K Sivan. The team held extensive discussions with various ISRO divisions over nearly three days to identify the cause of the failure.

Subsequently, acting on the direction of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Ajit Doval conducted an independent inquiry into the incident. Reports indicate that his findings ruled out any possibility of sabotage.

ISRO has since identified the technical issue that led to the PSLV failure. Efforts are now focused on rectifying the problem and finalising plans for the next mission.