Our Bureau
Sriharikota
The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) on Friday successfully launched EOS-05, also known as GISAT-1A, aboard the GSLV-F17 from Sriharikota, marking its first successful launch of 2026 and reviving a satellite programme that has faced delays and an earlier setback.
The 2,367-kg Earth observation satellite was precisely injected into its targeted sub-geosynchronous transfer orbit by the GSLV-F17. The mission is significant because EOS-05 is designed to provide frequent, near-real-time imaging of large areas, giving India enhanced capabilities for monitoring environmental changes and supporting strategic applications.
EOS-05 is the first Indian imaging satellite intended for operation from geosynchronous orbit, around 36,000 km above Earth. From this position, it can repeatedly observe the same region, making the satellite particularly useful for tracking developments over agriculture, drought, snow cover, glaciers and water bodies. Its observations can also support disaster management and national situational awareness.
The success is also a major confidence boost for ISRO after the failure of the PSLV-C62 mission on January 12, which had left the agency without a successful launch for almost eight months. It marks a return to the launchpad with a clean mission and restores momentum ahead of a demanding schedule for the remainder of the year.
The mission also closes a difficult chapter for the GISAT programme. The earlier GISAT-1 mission was lost in 2021 after a GSLV launch failure. Since then, the GSLV-Mk II has recorded successful flights, including the launch of the NASA-ISRO NISAR satellite in 2025.
With EOS-05 successfully deployed, ISRO now moves into the next phase of its 2026 launch programme, with major missions including the first uncrewed Gaganyaan flight and navigation satellite NVS-03 still ahead.