After seven-month hiatus, ISRO to launch key satellite on September 4

This will end the space agency’s seven-month-long hiatus since the last failed launch — PSLV-C62 Mission — in January this year.

2 min readNew DelhiSep 1, 2026 05:20 AM IST

After seven-month hiatus, ISRO to launch key satellite on Sept 4

ISRO has undertaken only one launch this year — its workhorse launch vehicle was to place an earth observation satellite in orbit on January 12 in the PSLV-C62/EOS-N1 mission. (File photo)

THE INDIAN Space Research Organisation (ISRO) on Monday announced that the earth observation satellite EOS-05 will be launched via GSLV F17 on September 4 at 02:55 am from Sriharikota.

The Indian Express had earlier reported that the satellite will be launched in the first week of September; the other satellite parked at the spaceport NVS-03 is likely to be launched in November. This will end the space agency’s seven-month-long hiatus since the last failed launch — PSLV-C62 Mission — in January this year.

GISAT-1A or Geo Imaging Satellite — also referred to as EOS-05 under the new nomenclature system — is a replacement satellite for GISAT-1 (or EOS-03). The previous satellite, which was launched in 2021, failed to reach orbit after the cryogenic upper stage of the rocket failed to ignite. A failure analysis committee found that a malfunctioning valve led to insufficient pressure in the liquid hydrogen tank, causing the failure. The satellite, with a 10-year mission life, is designed to image large areas of interest at frequent intervals for purposes such as monitoring natural disasters or keeping track of agriculture or forestry.

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This is India’s first earth observation satellite in a higher geosynchronous orbit. Most earth observation satellites are placed in low earth orbit.

Launches were put on hold after the space agency suffered several setbacks, according to officials. Three of the six missions undertaken by the space agency in 2025 and 2026 ended with the satellites not reaching the intended orbits due to anomalies in the launch vehicle or spacecraft engine.

ISRO has undertaken only one launch this year — its workhorse launch vehicle was to place an earth observation satellite in orbit on January 12 in the PSLV-C62/EOS-N1 mission. The satellite could not be injected into the intended orbit due to an “anomaly” in the third stage of the rocket. The report of the failure analysis committee — or even a summary of it — has not been made public yet.

Anonna Dutt

Anonna Dutt is a Principal Correspondent who writes primarily on health at the Indian Express. She reports on myriad topics ranging from the growing burden of non-communicable diseases such as diabetes and hypertension to the problems with pervasive infectious conditions. She reported on the government’s management of the Covid-19 pandemic and closely followed the vaccination programme. Her stories have resulted in the city government investing in high-end tests for the poor and acknowledging errors in their official reports. Dutt also takes a keen interest in the country’s space programme and has written on key missions like Chandrayaan 2 and 3, Aditya L1, and Gaganyaan. She was among the first batch of eleven media fellows with RBM Partnership to End Malaria. She was also selected to participate in the short-term programme on early childhood reporting at Columbia University’s Dart Centre. Dutt has a Bachelor’s Degree from the Symbiosis Institute of Media and Communication, Pune and a PG Diploma from the Asian College of Journalism, Chennai. She started her reporting career with the Hindustan Times. When not at work, she tries to appease the Duolingo owl with her French skills and sometimes takes to the dance floor. ... Read More

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