ISRO reschedules launch of GISAT-1 satellite citing technical reasons

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has rescheduled the launch of the GISAT-1 geo-imaging satellite due to a technical issue with the spacecraft.

The GISAT-1 was initially planned to be launched on 5 March 2020 from Sriharikota spaceport but was called off just a day before lift-off.

Later, the space agency planned to launch the satellite yesterday (28 March), depending on weather conditions.

ISRO sources have revealed that the launch was further delayed due to the impact of the coronavirus lockdown.

According to the revision, the satellite is now slated to launch on 18 April.

An ISRO source was quoted by the Press Trust of India as saying that: “There is a minor issue with the satellite.”

The 2,268 kg GISAT-1 is an advanced Earth observation satellite that will support the observation of the Indian sub-continent at regular intervals in nearly real-time under cloud-free conditions.

It will be placed in a geosynchronous transfer orbit (GTO) by the Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle GSLV-F10, according to ISRO.

The spacecraft will leverage its onboard propulsion system to reach its final GTO.

Meanwhile, several ISRO sources said that the maiden flight of its Small Satellite Launch Vehicle (SSLV) is expected to take place next month.

Earlier this month, the space agency launched Brazil’s Amazonia-1 satellite onboard the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle-C51 (PSLV-C51).