Isro’s PSLV-C49/EOS-01 mission successful; 10 satellites placed in orbit

 

India's PSLV-C49 carrying its latest earth observation satellite EOS-01 and nine customer satellites lifted off from the spaceport here on Saturday. The Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV-C49/EOS-01) blasted off from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre here at 3.12 pm at the end of a 26-hour countdown.

The lift off was originally scheduled for 3.02 pm, but was delayed by 10 minutes due to debris on the path of the vehicle, said the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). This is the first mission by ISRO this year.EOS-01 is intended for applications in agriculture, forestry and disaster management support, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) said. The customer satellites are from Lithuania (1), Luxembourg (4) and USA (4).

This was India's first rocket launch since the Covid-19 pandemic broke out, imposing numerous restrictions to working and enforcing multiple lockdowns.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated ISRO and the country's space industry for the successful launch, saying the scientists overcame many constraints to meet the deadline during this COVID-19 time.

"I congratulate @ISRO and India's space industry for the successful launch of PSLV-C49/EOS-01 Mission today. In the time of COVID-19, our scientists overcame many constraints to meet the deadline," Modi tweeted. In another tweet, he noted that nine satellites, including four each from the US and Luxembourg and one from Lithuania, have also been launched in the mission.