Learn from ISRO's journey through setbacks and failures to build resilience, extract learning, and transform defeats into stepping stones for success.
July 14, 2017 should have been a celebration. After years of development, ISRO launched the GSLV Mk III-D1 carrying the GSAT-19 satellite – India's heaviest communication satellite.
The launch was spectacular. Everything went perfectly... until it didn't.
During orbit insertion, a critical anomaly occurred. The satellite didn't reach its intended orbit. Years of work, hundreds of crores of investment, and the dreams of thousands of engineers – all seemed lost in that moment.
What happened next defined ISRO's character.
Instead of hiding the failure or playing the blame game, ISRO Chairman A.S. Kiran Kumar immediately held a press conference. He transparently explained what went wrong, took responsibility, and outlined the investigation process.
Within 48 hours, a Failure Analysis Committee was formed. Every component, every decision, every assumption was scrutinized. The findings were documented and shared across the organization.
Two years later, incorporating those learnings, ISRO successfully launched Chandrayaan-2. While the lander didn't soft-land as planned, the orbiter continues to deliver groundbreaking science – because the team had learned to manage failure, extract lessons, and move forward stronger.
ISRO has experienced multiple significant setbacks throughout its journey, yet it remains one of the world's most successful space agencies. The secret? How they handle failure.
ISRO never hides failures. They acknowledge setbacks publicly and promptly, maintaining credibility and trust with stakeholders.
Focus is on understanding what went wrong, not who to punish. This encourages honest reporting and learning.
Every failure triggers a structured investigation with documentation, root cause analysis, and corrective actions.
Learnings from failures are shared across teams and centers, preventing repeat mistakes and building institutional wisdom.
Teams are encouraged to recover quickly, apply learnings, and attempt again with renewed confidence.
Leaders provide psychological support to teams during failures, maintaining morale and motivation for future attempts.
Let's look at some significant setbacks and how ISRO transformed them into learning opportunities:
India's first satellite launch vehicle failed to place Rohini satellite into orbit. Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam, the project director, faced immense pressure.
Response: Team regrouped, analyzed every component, and successfully launched SLV-3 again in 1980. Dr. Kalam later said this failure taught him more than any success.
The Augmented Satellite Launch Vehicle failed to achieve orbit after three successive attempts.
Response: ISRO decided to leapfrog to PSLV technology instead of continuing with ASLV. This "failure-driven pivot" led to development of one of the world's most reliable launch vehicles.
The INSAT-4C satellite mission failed due to issues with the Russian cryogenic engine.
Response: This failure accelerated ISRO's indigenous cryogenic engine development program. By 2014, India had its own cryogenic technology, ending dependence on foreign suppliers.
India's first indigenous cryogenic engine test flight failed when the rocket veered off course.
Response: Comprehensive redesign of fuel systems and control mechanisms. The learnings were instrumental in future GSLV successes.
Navigation satellite failed to deploy when payload fairing didn't separate.
Response: Detailed investigation led to improved fairing separation mechanism. All subsequent launches incorporated these enhancements.
The Vikram lander lost communication during descent and hard-landed on the Moon's surface.
Response: The most watched failure in ISRO's history. PM Modi consoled the team personally. Chairman K. Sivan analyzed the data, identified issues, and the team is now preparing Chandrayaan-3 with improved landing algorithms. The orbiter, however, continues to succeed beyond expectations!
Notice a pattern? Every major failure led to a breakthrough innovation. ISRO doesn't just bounce back from failure – they bounce forward with enhanced capabilities and deeper knowledge.
You can apply this systematic approach to handle failures in your professional life:
Action: Acknowledge the failure quickly. Don't hide, downplay, or delay reporting.
Goal: Prevent further damage and maintain trust.
Example: "The project missed its deadline. I take responsibility and here's our recovery plan."
Action: Allow yourself and team to process the disappointment. It's okay to feel upset.
Goal: Prevent emotional suppression that hinders learning.
Example: "This is disappointing. Let's take a day to process, then regroup for analysis."
Action: Systematically identify what went wrong. Use "5 Whys" or fishbone diagrams.
Goal: Understand true causes, not just symptoms.
Example: "Why did we miss the deadline? → Underestimated complexity → Why? → Inadequate research phase..."
Action: Write down what you learned. Be specific and honest.
Goal: Create a knowledge asset for yourself and others.
Example: "Key learning: Always add 40% buffer to new technology estimates. Reason: Historical data shows..."
Action: Define specific corrective measures and preventive actions.
Goal: Ensure the same mistake doesn't repeat.
Example: "Going forward: (1) Implement peer code review, (2) Add automated testing, (3) Weekly progress checkpoints"
Action: Apply learnings and attempt again with renewed confidence.
Goal: Build resilience and eventual success.
Example: "With our new approach, let's pilot a small version first, then scale."
Think about a significant professional failure or setback you've experienced (missed promotion, failed project, rejected proposal, client loss, etc.)
Part 1: Describe the failure
Part 2: How did you respond initially?
Part 3: What did you learn from it?
Part 4: How would ISRO's approach have changed your response?
ISRO views failures as experiments that provide data points. You can too:
This shift from judgment to analysis removes the emotional sting and focuses on growth.
Some successful professionals maintain a private document listing their failures and learnings. It serves as:
Date: When did it happen?
Failure: What went wrong? (Be specific)
Impact: What were the consequences?
Root Cause: Why did it happen? (No blame – just facts)
Learnings: What did you discover?
Actions Taken: How did you prevent recurrence?
Later Success: How did this failure contribute to future success?
ISRO conducts extensive pre-launch simulations including failure scenarios. You can apply this:
Before starting a project: Imagine it's 6 months later and the project has failed spectacularly.
Question: "What went wrong?" Write down all possible failure points.
Benefit: You identify risks early and can build mitigation strategies proactively.
This isn't pessimism – it's intelligent preparation. ISRO's success rate improved dramatically after adopting rigorous failure scenario planning.
ISRO teams support each other through failures. You need this too:
ISRO occasionally recognizes teams who identified critical issues before launch – preventing failures. Similarly:
Create a personal ritual: After extracting learnings from a failure, acknowledge the growth:
This reinforces a growth mindset and builds emotional resilience.
Share a recent setback and get supportive, constructive feedback using ISRO's principles.