Early on Wednesday morning, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) announced that the countdown for the launch of the GSLV-F10 EOS-03 mission had begun. The geosynchronous satellite launch vehicle (GSLV) is scheduled to launch the Earth observation satellite (EOS) GISAT-1 from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC) in Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh, at 5:43 a.m. tomorrow (Thursday, August 12). The launch, which the country is eagerly anticipating ahead of Independence Day, is, however, weather-dependent, according to the national space agency.
“Countdown for the launch of GSLV-F10/EOS-03 mission commenced today at 0343Hrs (IST) from Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC) SHAR, Sriharikota,” tweeted Isro from its official handle on the microblogging website. The post included a photo of the GSLV-F10 mission, with the rocket decked at the Sriharikota spaceport waiting for its lift-off tomorrow.
The GSLV-F10 mission is carrying the GISAT-1 geo-imaging satellite. It is expected to serve as India’s “eye in the sky” once in orbit around the Earth, monitoring locations of interest while appearing motionless in space (since it will travel at the rate of rotation of the planet). According to officials familiar with the matter, the geosynchronous satellite will also help India monitor and respond to natural disasters and other short-term events at a rapid pace.
According to an official bulletin from Isro deta, the GISAT-1 satellite will also obtain spectral signatures for agriculture, forestry, mineralogy, cloud properties, snow and glaciers, and oceanography.
The geosynchronous satellite launch vehicle is on its fourteenth flight. This time, Isro is sending an Ogive-shaped payload with a diameter of 4 metres, which is a first.
The launch vehicle will place EOS-03, a 2,268-kg state-of-the-art agile Earth observation satellite, into Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit, according to Isro. The satellite will then use its onboard propulsion system to reach the final geostationary orbit, according to officials.
Jitendra Singh, the Union minister of state (MoS) in charge of the space department, confirmed in the Lok Sabha earlier this week that the Earth Observation Satellite-03 will be launched on August 12. In the third quarter of 2021, PSLV-C52 will also launch EOS-04, another Earth observation satellite, he added.
