Sriharikota: Hundreds of people, including students, braved the rain to watch the successful launch of the state-of-the-art Earth observation spacecraft, EOS-05, from the second launch pad of the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota at 2.55 am on Friday.
Thousands of others were glued to their television or mobile screens across the country as ISRO’s Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV) lifted off on its 19th flight, placing the EOS-05 into the intended Sub-Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit 18 minutes later.
The EOS-05 is India’s first ever imaging satellite to monitor from Geosynchronous orbit about 36,000 km above the Earth.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi hailed the successful launch of the country’s first-ever imaging satellite in geo-orbit and said it was a proud moment for the country.
“Yet another outstanding achievement by ISRO and a proud moment for our nation. The successful launch of GSLV-F17 carrying EOS-05, India’s first-ever imaging satellite from Geosynchronous orbit is a reflection of the excellence, innovation and growing capabilities that define India’s space sector,” the Prime Minister posted on X.
“The growing partnership between ISRO and Indian industry is adding new strength and scale to our space programme and expanding India’s capabilities across the entire space ecosystem,” he added.
ISRO chairman Dr V Narayanan spoke about the successful launch and said that there would be several more, including an uncrewed Gaganyaan mission by the end of the calendar year.
“I am very happy to announce that the GSLV-F17 vehicle has successfully and precisely injected the advanced Earth observation satellite EOS-05 in the intended and required orbit,” he said.
This was the 107th launch from the spaceport in Sriharikota and the 19th mission of the GSLV.
“The first launch of the GSLV-D1 was done with a payload of 1,536 kg. From that, gradually we have improved the performance of this vehicle by optimising the structural mass and improving the propulsion systems, and today we have injected the heaviest satellite, a 2367 kg satellite, using this launch vehicle,” he added.
Once the Earth observation satellite, EOS-05, is operationalised in orbit, it will become India’s first dedicated imaging satellite from the Geo Orbit, providing important strategic data for our country, Narayanan said.
“From the satellite data we confirm all the valves are operating perfectly, the solar panel is deployed and the health of the satellite is perfectly alright. In the coming days we will raise the orbit and take it to the required orbit and place the satellite in the Geo platform for national activities,” the ISRO chairman said.
“Another giant leap for India in Space! Kudos to Team @isro on the successful launch of GSLV-F17/EOS-05. EOS-05 is a state-of-the-art Earth Observation satellite and India’s first imaging satellite from Geosynchronous Orbit, enabling advanced imaging across visible, infrared, multi-spectral and hyperspectral bands. With the visionary leadership of PM Shri @narendramodi Ji, India’s space capabilities continue to scale new heights, strengthening our position as a global space power,” Jitendra Singh, minister of state in the Department of Space, posted on X.
The EOS-05 satellite dubbed ‘Eye in the Sky’ will provide real-time imagery besides helping agriculture, the environment, disaster management, and others.
This comes as a huge relief for ISRO, which has not carried out any launch activities since the failure of the PSLV-C62 mission carrying the EOS-N1 earth observation satellite on January 12, 2026.
Since the back-to-back failures of PSLV-C62 and the PSLV-C61 on May 18, 2025, ISRO had taken a cautious approach and refrained from carrying out any launches.
ISRO did not launch any satellites though seven missions, including the GSLV-F17/EOS-05, were scheduled to take place in the first quarter of 2026.
