Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) after the successful launch of the GSLV-F17 rocket carrying the EOS-05 Earth observation satellite. He described the mission as a proud moment for India and praised the country’s growing capabilities in space technology.
The mission also highlighted the increasing role of Indian industry in supporting the country’s expanding space ecosystem.
The GSLV-F17 lifted off from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh, at 2:55 am IST on Friday.
Following liftoff, the launch vehicle placed EOS-05 into its designated sub-geosynchronous transfer orbit. ISRO Chairman V Narayanan expressed satisfaction with the mission and said the satellite had been precisely injected into its intended orbit.
Reacting to the mission, PM Modi said the successful launch reflected the excellence, innovation and growing capabilities of India’s space sector.
He also highlighted the expanding partnership between ISRO and Indian industry, saying greater industry participation was providing additional strength and scale to India’s space programme.
The Prime Minister said this collaboration was helping expand capabilities across the wider Indian space ecosystem.
The EOS-05 mission is designed to strengthen India’s Earth observation capabilities.
According to the information provided, the satellite is expected to provide a continuous view of India from an altitude of nearly 36,000 km, supporting advanced imaging and observation applications.
Science and Technology Minister Jitendra Singh described EOS-05 as a state-of-the-art Earth observation satellite. He said it enables advanced imaging across visible, infrared, multispectral and hyperspectral bands.
Mission Director Thomas Kurian described the launch as an important milestone for the GSLV programme.
The mission marked the 19th flight of the GSLV and carried a specially configured Earth observation satellite capable of near-real-time imaging.
Kurian said EOS-05 was the heaviest satellite placed by the GSLV into a geosynchronous transfer orbit, or sub-GTO. He credited the achievement to years of preparation and the work of scientists, engineers and other teams involved in the mission.
The GSLV-F17 is 51.7 metres tall and has an approximate liftoff mass of 420.5 tonnes.
The successful mission adds to India’s operational launch capabilities while supporting the country’s growing focus on advanced Earth observation technology.
