SRIHARIKOTA, Sep 4: India on Friday achieved a significant milestone in space exploration as the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) successfully launched EOS-05, the country’s first imaging satellite designed for deployment in a geosynchronous orbit.
The advanced Earth observation spacecraft was carried aboard the GSLV-F17 rocket, which lifted off at 2:55 AM from the second launch pad at the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota.
The mission followed a smooth 27-hour countdown that began at 11:30 PM on Wednesday. Despite the pre-dawn timing and rainy conditions, a large number of space enthusiasts gathered at the launch centre to witness the liftoff.
Weighing around 2,367 kg, EOS-05 is intended to provide high-quality, near-real-time imagery that can support several national applications, including agriculture, disaster management and Earth monitoring.
Unlike several Earth observation spacecraft that operate in low Earth orbit, the new satellite is designed to operate at an altitude of approximately 36,000 km above the planet. At this altitude, a geosynchronous satellite moves at the same rate as Earth’s rotation, allowing it to maintain a consistent view of specific regions.
The successful mission also marked the 19th flight of India’s Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV).
Standing 51.7 metres tall, the GSLV-F17 is a three-stage launch vehicle with a cryogenic upper stage. The rocket has a lift-off mass of approximately 420.5 tonnes, while the EOS-05 spacecraft accounts for more than two tonnes of the mission payload.
The latest mission is also significant in the context of an earlier setback. The spacecraft is understood to serve as a replacement for the GSLV-F10/EOS-03 mission, which failed in 2021.
During that mission, an onboard computer initiated an abort approximately 307 seconds after liftoff. An investigation of the post-flight data subsequently identified an anomaly in the cryogenic upper stage as the cause of the failure.
Friday’s launch comes after a gap of nearly eight months since ISRO’s previous launch attempt.
On January 12, 2026, the PSLV-C62 mission, carrying 16 satellites, failed to inject its payloads into the targeted orbit following an anomaly in the vehicle’s third stage. It was ISRO’s only launch attempt earlier this year.
The agency had also faced a setback in May 2025, when the PSLV-C61 mission carrying EOS-09 could not complete its mission. ISRO had attributed the failure to a motor pressure-related issue that resulted in a decline in chamber pressure.
Ahead of Friday’s launch, ISRO Chairman V Narayanan visited the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams and offered prayers at the Lord Venkateshwara Swamy Temple, seeking blessings for the mission’s success.
The successful deployment of EOS-05 represents an important step forward for India’s Earth observation programme and is expected to enhance the country’s ability to monitor land, agriculture and disaster-prone areas through advanced satellite imagery.