India, Jan. 12 -- ISRO suffered a major setback on Monday after ISRO's Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV-C62) encountered a critical anomaly during the rocket's third stage, leaving the status of all 16 satellites on board uncertain.

The 44.4-metre-tall PSLV lifted off at 10.18 am from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, carrying an Earth observation satellite - EOS-N1 (Anvesha) - and 15 co-passenger satellites from India and overseas. The mission was intended to place them into a 512-kilometre Sun-Synchronous Orbit after a 17-minute flight.

The launch began smoothly. ISRO's live broadcast showed the rocket performing normally through its first and second stages, and the third stage ignited as planned. But soon after that ...