ISRO to launch Gisat-1A Earth observation satellite on September 4

India's space agency ISRO is preparing to launch the Gisat-1A Earth observation satellite, also designated EOS-05, in the early hours of September 4, marking its first launch since the PSLV-C62 failure on January 12. The launch has received government clearance. The 2.2-tonne satellite will provide near real-time images of the subcontinent under cloud-free conditions, with spectral signatures useful for agriculture, forestry, disaster warning, and oceanography. A senior scientist said it has several improvements over the original Gisat-1, and its frequent observation capability could also aid the armed forces. The mission revives a programme that faced repeated setbacks, including a scrubbed launch in 2020 and a 2021 failure when the cryogenic upper stage failed to ignite. ISRO is also planning launches of the NVS-03 navigation satellite and the first uncrewed Gaganyaan mission.