India’s space program suffered a disappointing setback today when an Indian rocket loses control after lift-off just minutes after leaving the launchpad.

The rocket, known as the PSLV-C62, was supposed to carry a new surveillance satellite into space, but the mission ended in failure.

The launch began at 10:17 AM at the Srihari Kota space center. At first, everything looked perfect as the rocket soared into the sky.

However, the situation changed quickly during the third stage of the flight. The Indian rocket loses control after lift-off because of a sudden drop in pressure, which caused the vehicle to veer off its planned path.

Because the Indian rocket loses control after lift-off, it could not reach the high speed needed to stay in space. This means the main satellite and 15 smaller ones onboard were likely destroyed or fell back toward the ocean.

This is the second time in less than a year that this type of rocket has failed, which is a "fresh blow" to the agency’s reputation.

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Scientists are now studying the data to find out exactly what went wrong. As the Indian rocket loses control after lift-off, the space agency has put future launches on hold to ensure the next mission is safe.

This failure is a reminder that even for experienced agencies, space travel remains a very difficult challenge.