New Delhi: The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has confirmed to launch the earth observation satellite EOS-3 aboard its GSLV Mk III vehicle from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre at Sriharikota on August 12.
“The launch is tentatively scheduled at 0543 hours IST on August 12, 2021, subject to weather conditions,” the ISRO said in a release.
“EOS-03 is a state-of-the-art agile earth observation satellite which will be placed in a Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit by GSLV-F10. Subsequently, the satellite will reach the final geostationary orbit using its onboard propulsion system,” the release added.
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The ISRO further said a “4 metre diameter Ogive shaped payload fairing is being flown for the first time in this GSLV flight”, adding “this is the fourteenth flight of GSLV”.
The space agency, which is targeting four launches over the next five months, will with this mission resume India’s space activities after a gap of over four months due to the Covid-19 second wave.
This will be the second operational flight of GSLV Mk III after the Chandrayaan-2 mission.
The Chandrayaan-2 mission, a highly complex mission, represents a significant technological leap compared to the previous missions of ISRO, which brought together an orbiter, lander and rover with the goal of exploring the moon’s south pole.
This unique mission aimed at studying not just one area of the moon but all the areas combining the exosphere, the surface as well as the sub-surface of the moon in a single mission.