NEW DELHI: India has placed its first imaging satellite designed to operate from geosynchronous orbit into space, giving the country a new way to observe large areas of South Asia more frequently.
The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) launched EOS-05 aboard a GSLV-F17 rocket on September 4. After three manoeuvres, the satellite reached an orbit estimated at between 34,903 and 35,884 kilometres above Earth on September 7. ISRO said the satellite was in normal condition following the final manoeuvre.
The satellite’s position is central to its purpose. Unlike Earth observation satellites that pass over a location at intervals, EOS-05 is designed to observe a broad region repeatedly from high above Earth. Its instruments include visible and infrared imagers intended to collect information about land and vegetation.
Such observations could support the monitoring of floods, changes in land use and other events that require frequent images. They may also have security applications, although ISRO’s public mission description identifies EOS-05 as an Earth observation spacecraft and does not disclose detailed military tasks.
The mission has drawn attention to what improved satellite coverage could mean for South Asia. More frequent observation may help India follow developments across its surrounding region, but the satellite’s presence in orbit alone does not establish how its images will be used or what level of detail they can provide for any particular security operation.
EOS-05 weighs about 2,367 kilograms, according to ISRO’s mission brochure. The World Meteorological Organization’s satellite database lists its main mission as frequent imaging of land and vegetation. As of its September 14 update, the database classified the spacecraft as commissioning, meaning routine operations had not yet begun.
The next measure of the mission’s impact will be the performance of its imaging systems once commissioning is complete. For India and its neighbours, EOS-05 adds a potential source of more frequent regional observations; its practical value will become clearer when operational data is available. (Source: thediplomat)
