Explained: Why ISRO’s Satellite EOS-03 'Eye in Sky' launch failed to enter Orbit

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) successfully launched Earth Observation Satellite, on Thursday, August 12, which later witnessed a setback due to a performance anomaly in the cryogenic stage of the rocket. Though the 51.70-meter tall rocket GSLV-F10/EOS-03 successfully lifted as per the schedule, a couple of minutes later the scientists were seen in discussion and it was announced in the Mission Control Centre by the Range Operations Director that the mission could not be accomplished fully due to 'performance anomaly'.

Why did the EOS-03 mission fail?

Earth observation satellite -3 launch was declared a failure after the rocket entered the lower reaches of space, an altitude of 139kms, after a flight of nearly 5mins 40 seconds. The first two stages of the rocket that is the initial thrust for lift-off and later carries the 52-meter tall vehicle to space, functioned as designed. But, when the rocket moved to its final stage that is the Cryogenic engine where liquid hydrogen and oxygen burns, a deviation in the flight was observed that was against the planned path. 

A rocket consists of multiple engines that operate in different stages once launched. The Thursday's rocket took off as scheduled but after 350 seconds when the payload was fairing, the nose cone or protective shield that houses the satellite had deviated from the rocket’s path.

After this observation, ISRO Chairman K Sivan stated, "(The mission) could not be fully accomplished mainly because there is a technical anomaly observed in the cryogenic stage. This I wanted to tell all my friends."

The technical anomaly in the cryogenic engine means the engine was supposed to perform from 4 minutes and 56 seconds until 18 minutes and 29 seconds in space. Following this schedule, the satellite was supposed to be ejected into orbit at 18 minutes and 39 seconds. But that process was disrupted by a glitch at around 5 minutes and 40 seconds.

Objectives of EOS-03 launch

According to the space agency,todays' mission was aimed to provide near real-time imaging of large area regions at frequent intervals, for quick monitoring of natural disasters, episodic events and obtain spectral signatures for agriculture, forestry, water bodies as well as for disaster warning, cyclone monitoring, cloud burst, and thunderstorm monitoring.

Since March 2020, ISRO has conducted two launches, one is the earth observation satellite EOS-01 last November, and the other in February this year when 18 small satellites, mainly of other countries, were sent into space.

(Image: @ISRO/TWITTER)