WHY IN THE NEWS?

Recently, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) suffered the loss of an important earth observation satellite (EOS-03) during launch when the GSLV rocket carrying it malfunctioned about five minutes from the lift-off.

About the EOS-03:

• It was capable of imaging the entire country four to five times every day.
• It was riding on a GSLV rocket (GSLV-F10), which has a new payload carrier designed to significantly reduce aerodynamic drag and thus carry larger payloads.
• The rocket was supposed to deposit the satellite in the geostationary transfer orbit, from where the satellite’s onboard propulsion system will guide it to a geostationary orbit, 36,000 km from the earth’s surface.
  • Geostationary transfer orbit is a circular orbit positioned approximately 35,900 km above Earth’s equator and having a period of the same duration and direction as the rotation of the Earth.
  • An object in this orbit will appear stationary relative to the rotating Earth