Chennai: The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) today morning opened its 2022 account with the successful launch of radar imaging satellite EOS-04 and two others onboard PSLV-C52.

At 5.59 am, PSLV-C52 lifted off from the first launch pad at Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota near here with three satellites, including its primary payload EOS-04 radar imaging satellite.

Around 17 minutes after lift-off, EOS-04 satellite was placed in a sun synchronous orbit. A minute later, the rocket injected the two other satellites — INS-2TD and Inspiresat-1.

PSLV-C52 injected EOS-04 into an intended sun-synchronous polar orbit of 529km altitude at 0617am IST, said the Indian Space Research Organisation.

EOS-04 is a Radar Imaging Satellite designed to provide high-quality images under all weather conditions. The images can be used for agriculture, forestry and plantations, soil moisture and hydrology and flood mapping.

The student satellite INSPIREsat-1 is developed by the Indian Institute of Space Science & Technology (IIST) in association with the Laboratory of Atmospheric & Space Physics at the University of Colorado, Boulder, The technology demonstrator satellite INS-2TD from ISRO is a precursor to India-Bhutan Joint Satellite INS-2B.

‘The mission of PSLV-C52/EOS-04 has been successfully accomplished. The primary satellite EOS-04 has been put into a very precise orbit by PSLV-C52, and along with that, co-passenger satellites INSPIREsat-1 and INS-2TD also have been placed into right orbit,’ ISRO Chairman S Somanath said after the successful launch.

Incidentally, today’s launch also happens to be the first mission after Somanath took over as the Secretary, Department of Space and Chairman, Space Commission, recently.

The launch comes nearly six months after the failed GSLV-F10/EOS-03 mission. According to Isro, the cryogenic upper stage ignition did not happen due to a technical anomaly during the GSLV-F10/EOS-03 launch on 12 August, 2021.