ISRO successfully launches earth observation satellite EOS-05 from Sriharikota
ISRO successfully launches earth observation satellite EOS-05 from Sriharikota Photograph: (X (@ISRO))
GSLV-F17 carrying EOS-05 lifts off from Sriharikota, aiming to boost real-time Earth imaging for disaster, cyclone, agriculture and water monitoring
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.
Announcing the launch outcome, ISRO Chief Dr. V. Narayanan said that the EOS-05 satellite was successfully and precisely injected into the required orbit. He added that the satellite's solar panels have been deployed and that the satellite's health condition is perfectly alright. While ISRO intended to place the satellite in an initial elliptical(egg-shaped) orbit of 170kms perigee (nearest point from Earth) and 28,934kms apogee (farthest point from Earth), the rocket had delivered a better performance and placed the satellite in a 171kms perigee and 31,026kms apogee. He also projected that the EOS-05 satellite would have an operational life of seven to nine years.
Tracing the 25-year operational history of the GSLV rocket, Dr. Narayanan pointed out that the EOS-05 was the heaviest satellite to be launched by this vehicle. He recalled and contrasted that GSLV had lifted a satellite weighing 1,356kg during its first launch mission; while it has lifted a 2,367kg satellite in its latest mission, which is its 19thflight.
He elaborated that this enhancement of lifting power is a result of ISRO's efforts in constantly modifying and upgrading the the structural elements, propulsion systems of the vehicle. He pointed out that the GSLV rocket had seen almost a 50percent increase in its lifting power over these years. However, he mentioned that further enhancement of this vehicle's lifting power is ruled out.
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Watch ISRO's post here
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.
ISRO targets 6 launches by March 2027
Referring to the back-to-back, mid-flight PSLV failures, Dr. Narayanan said that ISRO had understood the reasons behind them and needed to validate their understanding via experiments. Without elaborating much, the ISRO Chief also mentioned that the agency is targeting six launches in the ongoing Financial year, of which the launch of Navigation satellite NVS-03 and Gaganyaan-G1 mission are planned by December 2026.
NVS-03 is one among five satellites that are part of India's regional navigation satellite fleet, which urgently requires replenishment of satellites to resume basic functionalities. Gaganyaan-G1 is the first in the series of three unmanned missions that India would carry out, before launching its crew to space on an Indian rocket, astronaut-carrying spacecraft. Gaganyaan is India's ambitious Human Spaceflight programme, which aims to send Indian astronauts to space and return them safely.
