New Delhi: On Wednesday morning, Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro) announced that the countdown has begun for GSLV-F10 EOS-03’s launch. The geosynchronous satellite launch vehicle (GSLV) is scheduled to launch the Earth observation satellite (EOS) – GISAT-1 at 5:43am tomorrow (i.e. on Thursday, August 12) from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC) at Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh. The launch, which is eagerly anticipated ahead of Independence Day, is, however, subject to weather conditions, the national space agency has warned.
‘Countdown for the launch of GSLV-F10/EOS-03 mission commenced today at 0343Hrs (IST) from Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC) SHAR, Sriharikota,’ Isro tweeted from its official handle. In the post, a photo was shared of the GSLV-F10 rocket at the Sriharikota spaceport waiting for its launch tomorrow. After hours of waiting, the space agency reported that the second stage (GS2) of GSLV-F10 had been filled with oxidizer, while propellant for the aforementioned second stage had begun to be filled.
Countdown for the launch of GSLV-F10/EOS-03 mission commenced today at 0343Hrs (IST) from Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC) SHAR, Sriharikota#GSLVF10 #EOS03 #ISRO pic.twitter.com/ICzSfTHMBI
— ISRO (@isro) August 10, 2021
Filling of the oxidizer for the second stage (GS2) of GSLV-F10 completed#GSLVF10 #EOS03 #ISRO
Stay tuned for more updates…
— ISRO (@isro) August 11, 2021
Filling of propellant for the second stage (GS2) of GSLV-F10 commenced.#GSLVF10 #E0S03 #ISRO
— ISRO (@isro) August 11, 2021
The GSLV-F10 mission carries the geo-imaging satellite GISAT-1. When it is in orbit around the Earth, it is expected to act as India’s ‘eye in the sky,’ monitoring locations of interest while remaining motionless (since it will rotate at the same rate as the planet). According to officials of the space agency familiar with the matter, India will also be able to monitor and respond to natural disasters and any other short-term events which may cause alarm – with the geosynchronous satellite.
Isro’s official bulletin on GISAT-1 also details the mission description and the target transfer orbit, including spectral signatures for agriculture, forestry, mineralogy, cloud properties, snow and glaciers and oceanography. This is the fourteenth launch of the geosynchronous satellite launch vehicle. For the first time ever, Isro is launching a 4-meter payload shaped like the Ogive.
According to Isro, EOS-03, a 2,268-kg Earth observation satellite equipped with state-of-the-art technology, would be put in geosynchronous transfer orbit by the launch vehicle. The satellite will eventually reach the final geostationary orbit using its onboard propulsion system, officials said.
This week in the Lok Sabha, Jitendra Singh, the Union Minister for State (MoS) in charge of the department of space, confirmed that the Earth Observation Satellite-03 will be launched on August 12. EOS-04, another Earth observation satellite, is expected to launch from PSLV-C52 in the third quarter of 2021, according to him.
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