EOS-3 will be the second operational flight of GSLV MK-III after the Chandrayaan-2 mission when the launch vehicle “over-performed” placing the spacecraft in a higher orbit and saving fuel for upcoming manoeuvres

With the mission, the agency will resume the country’s space activities after a gap of over four months due to the second wave of the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) pandemic

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has confirmed that it will launch the earth observation satellite EOS-3 aboard its GSLV MK-III vehicle on August 12 at 5.43am from the country’s only spaceport at Sriharikota. With the mission, the agency will resume the country’s space activities after a gap of over four months due to the second wave of the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) pandemic.

“The launch is tentatively scheduled at 0543 hours IST on August 12, 2021, subject to weather conditions,” the space agency said in a release.

This will be the second operational flight of GSLV MK-III after the Chandrayaan-2 mission when the launch vehicle “over-performed” placing the spacecraft in a higher orbit and saving fuel for upcoming manoeuvres.

This will be the first time that the vehicle’s payload fairing, the nose of the rocket where the satellites are carried, will be a 4m ogive (bullet-like shape). The changes will make the vehicle more aerodynamic and the same payload fairing is likely to be used for the country’s human spaceflight.

The EOS-3 satellite, also known as GISAT-1 as per previous nomenclature, is one of the two paired satellites, the other being GISAT-2 or EOS-5, that will be able to provide image of the Indian landmass every 30 minutes as a spatial resolution of 50 metres.

The space agency is targeting four launches over the next five months – all earth observation satellites. One of the four will be carried by the small satellite launch vehicle in its maiden flight. All big-ticket missions, such as the first uncrewed flight under Gaganyaan mission, Chandrayaan-3 mission, and India’s first solar mission Aditya L1 have all been delayed due to the pandemic.