May 18 (UPI) -- India failed in its attempt to launch a satellite to observe Earth when the third stage failed, the nation's space agency said Sunday.
The Indian Space Research Organization's EOS-09 spacecraft lifted off atop a Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle rocket from Satish Dhawan Space Center in Sriharikota at 5:59 a.m. local time Sunday. There have been 101 launches from Sriharikota, which is 1417 miles from New Delhi, including three to the moon and one to Mars.
The satellite was lost because of an issue with the third stage of the rocket about six minutes after launch.
"Third stage, motor started perfectly, but during the functioning of the third stage, we are seeing an observation, and the mission could not be accomplished," ISRO Chairman V. Narayanan said in a televised statement after the launch. "Third stage, motor started perfectly, but during the functioning of the third stage, we are seeing an observation, and the mission could not be accomplished. After analysis, we shall come back."
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