ISRO launch hiatus sparks concerns as private startup TakeMe2Space rebounds from PSLV failure

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has not carried out a rocket launch since the PSLV‑C62 failure in January 2026, creating a six‑month gap that has unsettled scientists at the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC) and other ISRO units. While private firms such as Skyroot have successfully launched rockets during this period, ISRO remains focused on the Gaganyaan human‑spaceflight program and has announced plans for at least seven launches in the current fiscal year.

Hyderabad‑based startup TakeMe2Space, led by Ronak Samantray, saw its satellite carrying an NVIDIA GPU destroyed when the same PSLV failed to place the payload into orbit. The loss delayed the company’s commercial rollout of on‑orbit AI processing for satellite imagery and pushed its next launch opportunity to October. Samantray emphasized that the venture aims to turn satellites into data‑processing nodes rather than merely relaying raw data, highlighting the broader shift toward private sector involvement in India’s space ecosystem.