9 September 2026·The Hindu

Have complete trust in ISRO: French space agency

In this note

1. At a Glance

CNES (Centre National d'Études Spatiales), France's national space agency, has publicly reaffirmed trust in ISRO despite two consecutive PSLV launch failures, ahead of the joint TRISHNA satellite mission [1].
Tests India–France strategic space cooperation and ISRO's reliability as a launch-service provider amid a credibility question following back-to-back PSLV anomalies [1].
Relevant for Prelims (ISRO missions, PSLV, India's space diplomacy) and Mains GS-II/GS-III (bilateral S&T cooperation, space technology).

Lionel Suchet, Chief Operating Officer, CNES, told The Hindu (Paris) that CNES has "complete trust" in ISRO despite PSLV's two recent failures, reaffirming commitment to launch the Indo-French TRISHNA mission on PSLV in 2027 [1].

TRISHNA mission announced during India–France bilateral talks in July 2023 [2].
Received formal joint approval from ISRO and CNES on 19 March 2024, forming a joint project team [2].
Builds on prior ISRO–CNES collaborative missions such as SARAL (Satellite with ARgos and ALtiKa), an earlier joint Indo-French oceanographic altimetry satellite [2].
Originally planned for 2027 launch; per the article, ISRO now schedules the launch on PSLV "next year" (2027) [1][2].

Item	Detail
Mission name	TRISHNA – Thermal infraRed Imaging Satellite for High-resolution Natural resource Assessment [1][2]
Partners	ISRO (India) and CNES (Centre National d'Études Spatiales, France) [1]
Launch vehicle	PSLV (Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle) from Satish Dhawan Space Centre [1][2]
Planned launch	2027 [2]
Mission life	~5 years [2]
Purpose	High spatial & temporal resolution monitoring of Earth's surface temperature, emissivity, biophysical and radiation variables for surface energy budgeting [1]
Resolution	~57 m (land/coastal), ~1 km (ocean/polar) [2]
Recent PSLV failures	PSLV-C61 (18/19 May 2025) — EOS-09, third-stage (PS3) chamber pressure loss [1][3]; PSLV-C62 (12 January 2026) — EOS-N1, third-stage roll-rate disturbance [1][3]
CNES role/statement	Lionel Suchet, COO, CNES — affirmed trust in ISRO for both launch and satellite [1]

Geopolitical/Strategic

Reflects deepening India–France strategic partnership in space, alongside defence and nuclear cooperation [1].
Signals continued Western/European confidence in ISRO as a reliable launch partner despite recent setbacks, relevant to India's commercial launch ambitions (NSIL) [1].

Scientific/Technological

TRISHNA will aid climate monitoring — surface temperature, evapotranspiration, water stress assessment for agriculture and natural resource management [1].
Highlights recurring technical vulnerability in PSLV's third stage (PS3), a solid rocket motor, across two consecutive missions [3].

Environmental

Thermal infrared data supports climate change monitoring, urban heat island studies, and water resource management at regional-to-global scale [1].

Administrative/Governance

Raises questions about ISRO's failure-review and quality-assurance mechanisms for PSLV's solid-fuel third stage before resuming operational flights [3].

18–19 May 2025: PSLV-C61 failed to place EOS-09 satellite in orbit due to a chamber pressure drop in the third stage [3].
12 January 2026: PSLV-C62 failed carrying EOS-N1 and 14 co-passenger satellites; roll-rate disturbance during third-stage burn caused trajectory deviation [1][3].
September 2026: CNES COO Lionel Suchet publicly reaffirms trust in ISRO for the upcoming TRISHNA launch [1].

TRISHNA = Thermal infraRed Imaging Satellite for High-resolution Natural resource Assessment.
TRISHNA is a joint mission of ISRO (India) and CNES (France).
CNES = Centre National d'Études Spatiales, France's national space agency.
TRISHNA will launch aboard PSLV from Satish Dhawan Space Centre.
TRISHNA mission concept approved jointly by ISRO and CNES on 19 March 2024.
TRISHNA announced during India-France bilateral talks in July 2023.
PSLV-C61 (May 2025) carried EOS-09; failed due to third-stage anomaly.
PSLV-C62 (12 January 2026) carried EOS-N1 plus 14 co-passenger satellites; failed due to third-stage roll disturbance.
PSLV's third stage (PS3) is a solid rocket motor — the failure point in both recent missions.
SARAL was an earlier ISRO-CNES joint satellite (oceanographic altimetry).
TRISHNA's land/coastal resolution: ~57 metres; oceanic/polar: ~1 km.
Lionel Suchet is the Chief Operating Officer of CNES.
PSLV stands for Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle, ISRO's workhorse rocket.

PSLV vs GSLV vs LVM3 — compare ISRO's launch vehicle fleet and their track records.
SARAL mission — earlier ISRO-CNES joint satellite, precedent for TRISHNA.
India-France strategic partnership — defence, nuclear (Jaitapur), and space cooperation pillars.
NSIL and IN-SPACe — India's commercial space sector reforms relevant to launch reliability discourse.
Gaganyaan and Chandrayaan programmes — broader ISRO mission portfolio and quality assurance processes.
Earth Observation Satellites (EOS series) — India's EO satellite programme, of which EOS-09 and EOS-N1 are part.
Climate monitoring satellites — comparison with NASA/ESA thermal/land-surface missions.

Do not confuse TRISHNA (ISRO-CNES) with NISAR (ISRO-NASA) — both are joint EO satellite missions but with different partner agencies.
PSLV failures were in the third stage (PS3), not first or fourth stage — a common mix-up.
CNES is the French space agency, not to be confused with ESA (European Space Agency, a multinational body); France is an ESA member but CNES is distinctly national.
TRISHNA's launch vehicle is PSLV, not GSLV or LVM3.
Do not confuse EOS-09 (PSLV-C61, May 2025) with EOS-N1 (PSLV-C62, January 2026) — different satellites, different failure mechanisms (chamber pressure vs roll disturbance).