ISRO EOS-03 Mission ‘Not Accomplished Fully’; Technical Anomaly To Blame

ISRO has been steadily updating its latest mission to send the Earth Observation Satellite, EOS-03. However, the latest update from the Indian Space Research Organization reveals that the agency couldn't accomplish the mission successfully. ISRO took to its Twitter handle to explain that the mission "could not be accomplished fully" due to an anomaly.

ISRO EOS-03 Mission Unsuccessful

The ISRO EOS-03 was brought aboard the GSLV-F10 rocket and was brought to the Satish Dhawan Space Center in Sriharikota. The liftoff was done today morning, August 12, at 5:43 AM after a 26-hour countdown. However, the mission could not be accomplished.

The Mission Control Center's Range Operations Director announced that the "mission could not be accomplished fully due to performance anomaly". Later, ISRO explained that "performance anomaly observed in the cryogenic stage. The mission could not be accomplished fully."

ISRO EOS-03 Mission Explained

GSLV-F10 launch took place today at 0543 Hrs IST as scheduled. Performance of first and second stages was normal. However, Cryogenic Upper Stage ignition did not happen due to technical anomaly. The mission couldn't be accomplished as intended.

— ISRO (@isro) August 12, 2021

Looking back, the EOS-03 satellite liftoff was originally planned for April or May. However, the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic altered the plans, and the schedule was moved to August. Moreover, this is the second flight of the GSLV or the Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV) Mk II. Previously, the rocket took off with the Chandrayaan-2 Moon mission, where the Vikram lander had a hard landing.

"A 4-meter diameter Ogive-shaped payload fairing is being flown for the first time in this GSLV flight. This is the fourteenth flight of GSLV," ISRO said at the launch. On the other hand, the Earth Observation Satellite 03 has several important missions lined up. This is a state-of-the-art Earth observation satellite meant to help monitor natural disasters like cyclones, thunderstorms, cloudbursts, and so on.

The satellite was to be placed in the Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit by GSLV-F10. Additionally, the satellite's mission also involved gathering intel and information to be applied in different sectors of the economy. This includes Agriculture, water bodies, forestry, disaster warnings, and more.

Presently, the mission could not be accomplished as intended. ISRO has refrained from announcing when it would try again, although, the space agency has several missions lined up. For instance, the Gaganyaan mission, Chandryaan-3, and more.