Isro to return to launchpad with Gisat-1A; lift-off likely on Sept 4
Isro is set to return to the launch pad for the first time since the PSLV-C62 failure on Jan 12, after receiving govt clearance to launch two strategically important satellites that had been sitting at the Sriharikota spaceport for several weeks.As of Thursday (Aug 27), multiple sources confirmed to TOI that Isro was gearing up to launch Gisat-1A, also designated EOS-05, in the early hours of Sept 4.TOI had highlighted on Aug 3 that Gisat-1A and navigation satellite NVS-03 were ready for launch but were awaiting govt approval. Gisat-1A is designed to provide near real-time images of large “areas of region of interest” at frequent intervals, similar to the original Gisat-1 mission.“This is more than a replacement satellite. It has several improvements over Gisat-1,” a senior scientist said. While primarily a civilian satellite, its ability to provide frequent observation could also aid the country’s armed forces in planning operations.The 2.2-tonne class satellite is expected to strengthen India’s Earth observation capabilities by providing observation of the subcontinent under cloud-free conditions. It will provide spectral signatures useful for agriculture, forestry, mineralogy, disaster warning, cloud properties, snow, glaciers and oceanography.The mission revives a programme that has faced repeated setbacks. The original Gisat-1 launch was first scheduled for March 5, 2020, but was scrubbed minutes before the 26-hour countdown was to begin on March 4.Isro subsequently planned another launch in the first quarter of 2021, but this did not take place owing to a voltage issue that scientists had described as a “minor power problem”.When Gisat-1 finally lifted off at 5.43am on Aug 12, 2021, the first and second stages of the GSLV-F10 performed normally. However, the cryogenic upper stage, or CUS, failed to ignite because of a technical anomaly, resulting in the loss of the satellite.Since the CUS failure, GSLV-Mk2 missions have recorded four successive successes. The vehicle last launched the Nasa-Isro Synthetic Aperture Radar, or Nisar, satellite on July 30, 2025, as part of the GSLV-F16 mission.Gisat-1A is expected to restore India’s capability for frequent geostationary observation of the subcontinent. NVS-03, the other satellite that had been awaiting clearance, is also expected to be launched after Isro resumes its launch campaign.Isro, which has had a quiet year so far, is preparing for multiple missions in the last leg of the year. Aside from the Gisat-1A, the space agency is targeting the launch of the first uncrewed mission of the Gaganyaan and NVS-03, for which govt clearance has arrived.
