ISRO’s earth observation satellite EOS-01 launch for today

For the first time since a lockdown was imposed due to the coronavirus, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is preparing to launch an earth observation satellite, EOS-01, on Saturday.

The earth observation satellite will be launched at 3.02 pm from Satish Dhawan Space Center (SDSC) Sriharikota. The PSLV rocket will also carry nine customer satellites from three other countries.

The EOS-01 is the primary payload on the PSLV-C49 mission. It is a synthetic aperture radar weather imaging satellite capable of functioning in all kinds of weather. It is a part of India’s RISAT series of imaging satellites.

The satellite was originally called RISAT- 2BR2, but has since been renamed EOS-01 in accordance with ISRO’s new naming scheme for satellites. The satellite will aid forestry, agricultural, and disaster management.

The customer satellites are being launched under a commercial agreement with NewSpace India Limited (NSIL), Department of Space. It also includes one from Lithuania for technology demonstration, and four each from Luxembourgh and USA for maritime applications and multi-mission remote sensing respectively.

This will be the 76th launch vehicle mission from Sriharikota spaceport and the 51st flight of India’s Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle ‘PSLV’.