ISRO's GSLV-F17 sends EOS-05 toward a geosynchronous perch 36,000 kilometres above India
A GSLV Mark II rocket, flying as mission GSLV-F17, lifted off from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre and released the EOS-05 satellite, weighing 2,367 kilograms, into a sub-geosynchronous transfer orbit about 18 minutes later. ISRO describes it as India's first imaging satellite working from geosynchronous orbit, roughly 36,000 kilometres up, where a spacecraft's speed matches Earth's rotation. The satellite will use its own thrusters to climb the rest of the way and support agriculture, water-resource and disaster monitoring.
Science··Midday
GSLV-F17 delivers EOS-05 to its planned transfer orbit
A GSLV-F17 rocket lifted off from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre's Second Launch Pad at 02:55 local time on 4 September, after a 27-hour countdown that began at 23:30 two days earlier. The rocket, standing 51.7 metres tall, released EOS-05, weighing 2,367 kilograms, into a sub-geosynchronous transfer orbit about 18 minutes after liftoff, as planned. EOS-05 will use its own thrusters to climb the rest of the way to a geosynchronous perch roughly 36,000 kilometres up, where its speed matches Earth's rotation and it can hover over a single patch of the planet.[1], [2]
The GSLV programme's 19th flight, after 2021's EOS-03 loss
The GSLV Mark II has flown 13 times since its 2010 debut, 11 of them successfully; this was its 19th flight overall under the GSLV programme, which combines solid, liquid and cryogenic propulsion stages with an indigenous cryogenic upper stage. India lost its previous attempt to place an Earth-observing satellite in geosynchronous orbit in August 2021, when a third-stage anomaly destroyed the EOS-03 mission, and the rocket has since flown five consecutive successful launches, including July 2025's GSLV-F16 launch of NISAR, the joint NASA-ISRO Earth observation satellite.[1], [2]
ISRO points the imaging satellite at agriculture, water and disaster response
ISRO's press kit describes EOS-05 as a state-of-the-art Earth observation spacecraft, and The Economic Times reported its persistent coverage is meant for civilian and military use, including remote border areas and severe weather. Moneycontrol reported the satellite is designed to support agriculture, water-resource, urban-planning, forestry and disaster-management monitoring, including floods, forest fires and severe weather, from its fixed vantage point above the Indian subcontinent.[1], [2]
