ISRO's GSLV-F17 launches EOS-05, India's first imaging satellite for geosynchronous orbit

ISRO launched the Earth observation satellite EOS-05 on the GSLV-F17 rocket at 2.55 a.m. on 4 September 2026. The rocket lifted off from the Second Launch Pad of the Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikota. About 18 minutes later it placed the 2,367-kg satellite in the intended Sub-Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit (Sub-GTO).

EOS-05 is India's first imaging satellite designed to watch the Earth from geosynchronous orbit, about 36,000 km up. The launch was the 19th flight of the GSLV. ISRO Chairman V. Narayanan said it was the 107th launch from Sriharikota and the heaviest satellite the GSLV has carried.

ISRO's launch list shows no launch between the PSLV-C62/EOS-N1 mission of 12 January 2026, which ISRO lists as unsuccessful, and this one.

Why it matters for the exam

For UPSC, this fits Prelims (space technology and orbits) and GS Paper 3 (science and technology, achievements of Indians in space). For BPSC it belongs to Prelims general science.

Revise the types of orbit: low Earth orbit, sun-synchronous orbit, geosynchronous and geostationary orbit, and transfer orbits. Know the difference between the PSLV and the GSLV and what each is used for. For each recent mission, note the orbit, the launch vehicle and the launch site.

Points for Prelims

• Satellite: EOS-05, 2,367 kg. Rocket: GSLV-F17, the GSLV's 19th flight.
• Launched at 2.55 a.m. on 4 September 2026 from the Second Launch Pad, Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikota.
• Orbit reached: Sub-Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit, about 18 minutes after lift-off.
• India's first imaging satellite designed for geosynchronous orbit, about 36,000 km up.
• 107th launch from Sriharikota, and the heaviest satellite the GSLV has carried.
• ISRO Chairman: V. Narayanan.

Source: ISRO, GSLV-F17/EOS-05 Mission, 29 August 2026, updated after the launch.

Also reported by: The Hindu, 4 September 2026.