The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) on Friday (September 4) successfully launched the GSLV-F17 rocket carrying the Earth observation satellite EOS-05 from Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh. Following a 27.5-hour countdown, the 51.7-metre-tall rocket lifted off from the second launch pad at the Satish Dhawan Space Centre at the pre-scheduled time of 2.55 am. The launch was marked by bright orange flames and fumes from the rocket's tail as it thundered into the early morning sky.
Located around 135 km east of Chennai, Sriharikota is India's primary space launch site. The GSLV-F17 is expected to place EOS-05 into a sub-geosynchronous orbit after a flight lasting approximately 18 minutes. The satellite has been described as an 'eye in the sky' because of its ability to observe and monitor the Earth from an altitude of around 36,000 km. "GSLV-F17 carrying EOS-05 lifts off from Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikota", ISRO said in a notification on Friday. The GSLV has a lift-off mass of 420.5 tonnes and is a three-stage launch vehicle equipped with a cryogenic upper stage.
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The mission assumes added significance as it follows the GSLV-F10/Earth Observation Satellite-03 mission, which was unsuccessful after the cryogenic upper stage failed to ignite following lift-off on August 12, 2021, at 5.43 am from Sriharikota. The primary objective of the latest mission is to provide real-time imaging of large areas at frequent intervals. This capability is expected to support rapid monitoring of natural disasters and other episodic events.
EOS-05 will also help obtain spectral signatures for agriculture, forestry and water bodies, according to ISRO.
The satellite is expected to contribute to disaster warning systems and assist with cyclone, cloudburst and thunderstorm monitoring. The launch also marks the return of the Bengaluru-headquartered space agency to this particular launch programme after a gap of almost eight months.
