ISRO's EOS-05 Satellite Reaches Geostationary Orbit After Final Manoeuvre

India's first imaging satellite designed to operate from geosynchronous orbit, EOS-05, has completed the third and final manoeuvre needed to raise it into its designated circular orbit, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) said. The manoeuvre, which raises a satellite's orbit in planned stages after launch, was completed at 8:57 PM on September 7, 2026. That was three days after EOS-05 launched aboard the GSLV-F17 rocket from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota.

ISRO said the satellite's Liquid Apogee Motor (LAM), an engine used to raise a spacecraft's orbit in stages, fired for 1,247 seconds during this final burn. The estimated orbit afterward was 34,903 km by 35,884 km. The agency also reported that the satellite's overall health is normal.

EOS-05, also known as GISAT-1A, is being raised toward its operational geosynchronous orbit of about 36,000 km above Earth. At that altitude, a satellite's speed matches Earth's rotation, so it appears to hover continuously over the same point on the ground. Most Earth observation satellites instead orbit much closer to the planet, in low Earth orbit (LEO), rather than staying fixed above one location.

The satellite is designed to provide high-quality Earth imagery for uses including agriculture and disaster management. EOS-05 was originally planned to operate for seven years, but ISRO said its projected service life has now been extended by more than two years. That gives it an expected operational life of more than nine years.