The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) successfully launched EOS-05, India's first visual observation satellite designed to operate from geostationary orbit. The launch took place early Friday morning using the GSLV-F17 launch vehicle.
The three-stage rocket, which is 51.7 meters high and weighs 420.5 tons, took off from the second launch pad in Sriharikota at 2:55 AM. It placed the Earth observation satellite, weighing approximately 2367 kg, into the planned suborbital transfer orbit.
This flight marked the nineteenth mission for the GSLV series. The GSLV-F17 rocket was equipped with the S139 solid propellant block, four L40H liquid side boosters, the GL40HT liquid second stage, and the indigenous cryogenic upper stage CUS15, along with a four-meter composite payload fairing.
The EOS-05 satellite was inserted into a geostationary transfer orbit. Subsequently, it will reach a nominal perigee of 170 km, an apogee of 28,934 km, and an inclination of 19.28 degrees. The transition to the final orbit will be achieved through a series of maneuvers using onboard engines.
ISRO Chairman V. Narayanan stated that the rocket inserted the satellite precisely into the designated orbit. He noted that this launch was the one hundred seventeenth flight from Sriharikota and the nineteenth GSLV flight. Speaking from the mission control complex after the launch, he emphasized that the rocket delivered its heaviest payload in history—2367 kg, compared to 1536 kg delivered during the first GSLV launch.
He added that the vehicle's performance has gradually improved due to structural mass optimization and system enhancements. He also mentioned that EOS-05 is the first satellite dedicated to visual observation from geostationary orbit and will provide strategic data. Furthermore, the chairman announced that ISRO plans six more launches in the current fiscal year, including the navigation satellite NVS-03 and the first Gaganyaan unmanned mission.
As of February 2026, India had 21 operational Earth observation satellites. Most of these are in low Earth or sun-synchronous polar orbits, while India's capabilities for observation from geostationary orbit are represented by the meteorological satellites INSAT-3D, INSAT-3DR, and INSAT-3DS.
The launch of EOS-05 was the first GSLV mission following the successful deployment of the NASA-ISRO NISAR joint satellite into a 743 km sun-synchronous orbit on July 30, 2025. The Friday launch was ISRO's second orbital mission in 2026. The first mission, PSLV-C62, which carried EOS-N1 and other payloads on January 12, ended unsuccessfully due to an anomaly at the end of the third stage of the rocket flight.