ISRO Launches India's First Geosynchronous Imaging Satellite EOS-05

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) successfully launched the GSLV-F17 rocket from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota on Friday, September 4, 2026. The mission precisely injected the Advanced Earth Observation Satellite-05 (EOS-05) into a sub-geosynchronous transfer orbit. Weighing 2,367 kg, EOS-05 is the heaviest satellite ever carried by this launch vehicle and serves as India's first dedicated imaging satellite from geosynchronous orbit, designed to provide critical strategic data.

ISRO Chief V Narayanan confirmed the satellite is in good health following the 19th flight of the GSLV vehicle. Prime Minister Narendra Modi praised the mission as an "outstanding achievement," stating that the growing partnership between ISRO and the private industry is expanding the nation's space ecosystem capabilities.

Political reactions were mixed. While Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra congratulated the team, MP Jairam Ramesh called the mission a "landmark achievement" and a morale booster for the agency. However, Ramesh used the occasion to criticize the Prime Minister's Office for pursuing privatization and a "radical role reconfiguration" within the public institution.