A GSLV rocket, carrying ISRO’s earth observation satellite EOS-05, successfully launched from the spaceport in a pre-dawn mission on Friday from Andhra Pradesh’s Sriharikota. The rocket lifted off from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre at 2:55am IST.

Soon after the rocket’s launch, the EOS-05 satellite was successfully placed in its intended sub-geosynchronous transfer orbit.

“I am very happy to announce that the GSLV-F17 vehicle has successfully and precisely injected the advanced Earth observation satellite EOS-05, the Geo-Imaging Satellite, into the intended and required orbit,” ISRO Chief Dr V Narayanan said.

Thomas Kurian, Mission Director for the GSLV-F15 rocket mission, said that it is the heaviest satellite ever launched by GSLV into a GTO or sub-GTO orbit.

“It is a moment of great pride and happiness for all of us. The success of GSLV has completed its 19th mission, and the mission carried the EOS-05, a uniquely configured Earth observation satellite capable of near-real-time imaging. It is the heaviest satellite ever launched by GSLV into a GTO or sub-GTO orbit. A launch lasts only a few minutes, but behind those few minutes are months and years of rigorous effort,” he said.

The mission carries EOS 5, a satellite designed to provide India with a continuous bird’s eye view of the nation from a height of nearly 36,000 kilometers above earth.

The GSLV-F17 launch vehicle stands 51.7 metres tall and has a liftoff mass of 420.5 tonnes, placing it among India’s largest operational launch vehicles.

Science and Technology Minister Jitendra Singh hailed the successful launch of ISRO’s GSLV-F17 rocket mission, saying that India’s space capabilities continue to scale new heights, strengthening the country’s position as a global space power.

“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, multispectral and hyperspectral bands,” Jitendra Singh wrote on X.