ISRO achieves first major success this year with GSLV-F17/EOS-05 mission: Why is it historic? | Today’s news
The Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) on Friday (September 4) successfully launched the GSLV-F17/EOS-05 mission from the second launch pad at the Satish Dhawan Space Center in Andhra Pradesh.
After the successful launch, ISRO Chairman V Narayanan said, “I am very happy to announce that the Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV)-F17 has successfully and accurately injected the advanced Earth observation satellite EOS-05, Geo-Imaging Satellite, into the intended and required orbit (Sub-Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit).
Read also | India plans space station by 2035; first BAS module approved: ISRO chief
Prime minister Narendra Modi hailed the launch as “another outstanding achievement by ISRO and a proud moment for our nation”.
He said, “The growing partnership between ISRO and Indian industry adds new strength and scale to our space program and expands India’s capabilities across the space ecosystem.”
The GSLV rocket lifted off at 2:55 a.m. local time from the country’s main spaceport at Sriharikota and reached the designated orbit 18 minutes later, according to ISRO’s YouTube broadcast.
What is the GSLV-F17/EOS-05 mission? Why is it historical?
EOS-05 is a state-of-the-art spacecraft for Earth observation. It is India’s first ever geosynchronous orbit imaging satellite. GSLV-F17 successfully placed the EOS-05 satellite into Sub-Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit (Sub-GTO), breaking the eight-month spell.
At over 2,300 kg, it is the heaviest satellite ever carried by GSLV and the satellite was perfectly ahead in its trajectory.
“Today, we injected the heaviest satellite, 2367 kg, using this launch vehicle. The health of the satellite is absolutely fine,” the ISRO chief said.
GSLV-F17 is India’s 19th Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV).
Friday’s pre-dawn launch follows a lapse of nearly eight months and marks ISRO’s first achievement of the year. The achievement takes on even more significance as it has come at a time when questions have been raised about the prowess of India’s start.
Read also | Will ISRO Resignation Affect Gaganyaan? Here is what former ISRO scientists have to say
The Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle, or PSLV, suffered back-to-back malfunctions in 2025 and January 2026. On January 12, ISRO’s PSLV-C62 rocket carrying 16 satellites failed to place them in their intended orbit after encountering an “anomaly” in the critical third stage of the launch.
Besides, the GSLV-F17/EOS-05 mission is to replace the failed GSLV-F-10/EOS-03 mission in 2021, according to PTI. The on-board computer aborted the mission after 307 seconds of flight.
According to ISRO, a probe into the flight data showed that an anomaly in the cryogenic upper stage led to the mission failure.
Read also | Center tightens exit rules as over 100 ISRO scientists to quit, take early retirement
“As far as GSLV-F10 is concerned, there was a small problem with the cryogenic stage. After that, the national level committee clearly looked into the reason and we made all the improvements. Not only this vehicle, but we also had two important missions last year, including the NISAR mission using this vehicle, and we improved the reliability of the entire vehicle. That’s what we did,” the ISRO chief told PTI.
Is it a spy satellite?
Later in a press conference, the ISRO chief said the operational life of the Earth observation satellite was 9 years, according to PTI, and dismissed speculations that it was a “spy satellite”.
What will the EOS-05 satellite do?
ISRO chief Narayanan said that once EOS-05 is put into orbit, it will become India’s first dedicated imaging satellite from geostationary orbit and provide important strategic data to the country.
The satellite is to support continuous monitoring of India and nearby Earth observation areas. Mission Director Thomas Kurien said the mission carried a uniquely configured EOS capable of near-real-time imaging.
Read also | Higher pay, faster growth: Why more than 100 scientists left ISRO in recent months
An “eye in the sky”, as one of the top scientists involved in the mission described the satellite, it is meant to provide real-time imagery and help the nation in areas including agriculture and disaster management, PTI reported.
ISRO chief Narayanan said this satellite “will continuously scan a certain part of the Earth, especially India and its surroundings”. It will be useful for continuous monitoring purposes,” he added.
Explaining the importance of this satellite further, Narayanan said that it is the first satellite “placed on the 36,000 km Earth observation platform of our country for multiple use… This is the heaviest satellite ever lifted by GSLV… This is the second successful mission in this financial year (after the Skyroot mission)….”
He said that the guaranteed lifetime of the satellite is seven years. “I am sure it will work for more than 9 years…,” he added.
Union Minister Jitendra Singh also welcomed the “historic” launch, saying the EOS-05 will enable advanced imaging in the visible, infrared, multispectral and hyperspectral bands.
Six more starts this year
Addressing a press conference, the ISRO chief said the space agency is targeting six more launches in the current financial year.
“In this financial year, as per the Prime Minister, we are targeting six more launches,” Narayanan told ANI.
On Gagaanan
Narayanan also spoke about Gaganyaan’s human spaceflight program, describing it as a technologically demanding mission. He said that the launch vehicle being prepared for the mission is being evaluated by people and that ISRO is continuing to work on the program.
“Gaganyaan is a technologically demanding mission. The vehicle is being evaluated by humans. We are preparing for this mission. We have completed a lot of development work, including the development of the safety system,” he said.
The ISRO chief said that a significant amount of development work for Gaganyaan has already been completed, including the development of safety systems. He added that preparations for a human mission into space continue.
