ISRO launches 2,367 kg geo-imaging satellite

Rain fell over Satish Dhawan Space Centre as spectators with umbrellas watched the GSLV-F17 rise from Sriharikota at 2.55 AM on Friday. After a smooth 27-hour countdown, the rocket placed EOS-05 into its intended sub-geosynchronous transfer orbit about 18 minutes after liftoff. At 2,367 kg, the satellite was the heaviest ever carried by a GSLV.

The next destination is a geosynchronous orbit roughly 36,000 km above Earth, where the satellite will match Earth’s rotational speed. That is a different vantage point from low Earth orbit, or LEO, where several Earth observation satellites already operate. EOS-05 carries a multi-band imaging system that Mission Director Thomas Kurien described as capable of near-real-time imaging.

The launch also illustrates the vehicle’s performance gains. ISRO chief V Narayanan recalled that the first GSLV mission, D1, carried 1,536 kg. The agency attributes the increase to optimised structural mass and improved propulsion systems. The rocket used for EOS-05 is 51.7 meters tall, has three stages and uses a cryogenic third stage.

The satellite has reached its transfer orbit, but its imaging service is not yet operational. ISRO said the solar panel had been deployed and that satellite systems were operating well; orbit-raising manoeuvres will now elevate EOS-05 to the required geosynchronous platform. The mission follows the unsuccessful GSLV-F10/EOS-03 mission of 2021.

And so, concretely? Once operationalised, EOS-05 is intended to give India near-real-time imagery for agriculture and disaster management, while providing what ISRO calls strategic data for national activities. The launch establishes the route to that capability; the useful service begins only after the remaining orbit-raising work is complete.