ISRO successfully carries out ground static test of PSLV third stage

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A view of the ground static test of the PSLV third stage (PS3) successfully carried out at the Static Test Facility in Satish Dhawan Space Centre, in Sriharikota on November 12, 2026. | Photo Credit: ANI

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) which is looking to get its workhorse launcher, the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV), back on track has successfully carried out the ground static test of the PSLV third stage (PS3) at the Static Test Facility in Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikota on Thursday (November 12, 2026).

“Subsequent to the anomalies observed in the third stage of PSLV during the PSLV-C61/EOS-09 & PSLV-C62 / EOS-N1 missions, the configuration of the PS3 stage was revisited comprehensively with respect to the design margins, raw material acceptance criteria, assembly procedures, and the quality checks that were followed so far,” ISRO said.

“The configuration has been strengthened and essential improvements have been carried out in the nozzle configuration to improve design margins along with updated procedures in the acceptance of raw materials, assembly procedures and quality checks,” ISRO added.

It also said that the mechanical interfaces have been strengthened with redundancy in the sealing systems and adequacy of the design margins have been verified.

“The updates in assembly procedures and non-destructive tests (NDT) during the various phases of integration and transportation have been implemented and the new version of the PS3 solid motor stage is realised and tested successfully,” ISRO said.

Based on the detailed analysis and reviews of the test data, the space agency said further tests are planned.

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