India launches Earth observation satellite, others for foreign customers

India’s space agency launched 10 satellites into Earth’s orbit on Saturday from its space station in southern Sriharikota Island, the first such mission since the coronavirus pandemic hit the country.

The Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle-C49 (PSLV-C49) carried the Earth observation satellite EOS-01 and nine customer satellites of the United States, Luxembourg, and Lithuania as it lifted from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre.

EOS-01 is a radar imaging satellite that can take pictures in all-weather conditions and will be useful in military, agriculture, forestry, and disaster management support. It will work with two radar imaging satellites that were launched last year.

The customer satellites of the U.S., Luxembourg, and Lithuania are intended for remote sensing of Earth images and maritime applications.

This was PSLV’s 51st flight of the Indian Space Research Organization and the first since the derailing of its launch schedule by the COVID-19 outbreak.