ISRO launches EOS-5 imaging satellite:‘Naughty Boy’ GSLV puts it 36,000 km above Earth to monitor Pak, China

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) successfully launched India’s first EOS-05 imaging satellite at 2:55 am on Thursday using the GSLV-F17 rocket from Sriharikota. The satellite was placed into orbit around 18 minutes after liftoff. The mission comes nearly five years after the failure of GIST-1. The EOS-05 satellite weighs around 2,367 kg. It will take images of large parts of India from an altitude of 36,000 km and will be able to monitor several areas, including the Pakistan-China border. It will also help during disasters. ISRO launched a mission after nearly eight months. Before this, two ISRO launches had failed in January 2026 and March 2025. Mission launched from Sriharikota GSLV-F17 was the 19th flight under India’s Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle programme. It was launched from the Second Launch Pad at the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota. The rocket will place EOS-05 into a Sub-Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit (Sub-GTO). The mission uses a four-metre-diameter ogive composite payload fairing. GISAT-1 mission failed in 2021 In August 2021, ISRO attempted to launch GISAT-1 aboard the GSLV-F10. The mission failed after a problem occurred in the rocket’s cryogenic stage, preventing the satellite from reaching orbit. GISAT-1 was designed to provide near-real-time imaging of the Indian subcontinent from geostationary orbit. ISRO’s previous two launches failed PSLV-C62: On January 12, 2026, the rocket was carrying the DRDO’s ‘Anvesha’ satellite and 15 other co-passenger satellites. However, the mission failed after the rocket became unstable during the third stage. PSLV-C61: On May 18, 2025, the mission aimed to place the Earth observation satellite EOS-09 into orbit. However, the mission failed after a sudden drop in combustion chamber pressure during the third stage.