File pic: ISRO launched the GSLV-F17/EOS-05 mission from the Second Launch Pad at Satish Dhawan Space Centre, in Sriharikota on Friday.
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On September 4, 2026, ISRO’s Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV) lifted off from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota for the nineteenth time. The mission, called GSLV F-17- EOS-5, was special as the launch vehicle carried with it India’s first imaging satellite in the GEO orbit - EOS-05. But what is special about this satellite and how will it benefit the country?What is the EOS-05 satellite?EOS (Earth Observation Satellite)-05 is a dedicated imaging satellite made in-house by ISRO. Unlike other communication, navigation or multi-purpose satellites, the EOS-05 is intended to capture detailed visual data of the earth’s surface and contains specialised high-performance cameras and sensors. The data transmitted from such satellites can have applications like monitoring crops, forecasting weather, safely assessing the impact of natural disasters like floods or wildfires and keeping a watch on borders and other critical security areas.Does India have other imaging satellites?Yes. India has launched multiple dedicated families of imaging satellites like the IRS (Indian Remote Sensing) series, RISAT (Radar Imaging Satellite) for weather monitoring, and the CARSAT series for cartographic mapping of geography and terrain.What then makes the EOS-05 special?While the earlier families of ISRO’s imaging satellites operated in low altitude orbits like the Sun Synchronous Polar Orbit (SSPO), EOS-05 will be India’s first imaging satellite in the Geosynchronous Earth Orbit (GEO).A satellite that operates in the GEO reaches a ‘sweet spot’ where it revolves around its orbit at roughly the same speed as the earth rotates. For an observer from the earth’s surface, the satellite will appear to stay stationary.This means that, unlike other imaging satellites stationed at lower orbits that capture multiple snapshots of a place as it moves along its orbit, the EOS-05 will provide a continuous, near real-time view of the region.When can such continuous real time views be beneficial?The most important application of EOS-05 comes within strategic and national security use cases. Since they can constantly monitor a particular location, they can be used to observe sensitive areas like borders or conflict zones.For instance, the EOS-05 can track and identify changes, including the movement or concentration of vehicles or the construction of bunkers or roads. They can continuously survey key military infrastructure or strategically important facilities like ports or nuclear sites in real time, rather than a lower earth orbit having to pass over these areas repeatedly. For this reason, the EOS-05 has been dubbed the ‘eye-in-the-sky’ - a testament to its uninterrupted monitoring capacity.Can EOS-05 be helpful in other non-security use cases?ISRO Chairman V Narayanan had said in a presser post the GSLV F17 mission that beyond just security and strategic imaging, the EOS-05 satellite is also capable of assisting with weather forecasting, cyclone and storm tracking, disaster management, agriculture, and environmental monitoring.Which other countries or space agencies operate such satellites in GEO?Multiple other countries operate GEO imaging satellites. Gaofen-4, launched on December 28, 2015, was China’s first earth observation satellite injected into the geosynchronous orbit. The US operates multiple satellites in the GEO under its National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), with the final satellite in the series, GOES-19, launched in 2024.While these satellites have the same continual imaging capabilities of EOS-05, they operate with environmental monitoring or disaster response as the key objective, while ISRO has explicitly mentioned that EOS-05 prioritises strategic imaging.Private organisations like Intelsat, Viasat, SES and Astranis Space Technologies, among others, also operate GEO satellites, but these are communication focused and not for imaging.Where is EOS-05 now and when will it be operational?After the GSLV injected it into the Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit (GTO) last week, the satellite has completed multiple orbital manoeuvres using its in-built propulsion systems to reach higher altitudes. It is expected to reach the GEO and become operational 4-5 days after the launch.Published on September 7, 2026
