ISRO schedules military assets missions, to blast off in 1st quarter of 2026
By R Anil Kumar
Bengaluru, January 8, 2026. India’s space agency, ISRO, has scheduled two key strategic satellite launches for the first quarter of 2026. On January 12, at 10:17 am IST, the PSLV-C62 will lift off from Sriharikota, carrying the DRDO-developed hyperspectral Earth observation satellite Anvesha, also known as EOS-N1. This mission, managed by NewSpace India Ltd (NSIL), will also deploy 18 co-passenger satellites from Indian and international users.
The Anvesha satellite features advanced hyperspectral sensors capable of capturing narrow spectral bands invisible to the human eye or standard cameras. These enable detection of camouflaged objects, such as concealed metals, vehicles, or troop movements, by analysing unique colour reflections—proving invaluable for strategic surveillance.
The second mission involves the GSLV-F17 launching EOS-05, identified as the Geo Imaging Satellite (GISAT-2), enhancing India’s geosynchronous imaging capabilities. These launches follow two notable failures in 2025: the PSLV-C61/EOS-09 mission on 18 May, which suffered a mid-flight anomaly with an estimated loss of ₹850 crore, and the GSLV-F15/NVS-02 on 29 January, thwarted by a pyro valve malfunction costing around ₹300 crore.
Historical setbacks include the 2021 GSLV-F10/GISAT-1 cryogenic failure and the 2017 PSLV/IRNSS-1H heat shield issue. However, ISRO ended 2025 on a high note with the successful LVM3 launch of the military GSAT-7R (CMS-03) in November.
Beyond these, ISRO plans additional missions by March 2026. The HLVM-3 G1/OM1 will conduct the first uncrewed Gaganyaan test, validating human-rated systems from launch to crew module recovery. PSLV-C63/TDS-01 will demonstrate high-thrust electric propulsion, indigenous TWT amplifiers, and quantum key distribution for future all-electric satellites and transponders.
Finally, PSLV N1/EOS-10 — India’s first industry-consortium-built PSLV — will orbit the Oceansat-3A satellite for oceanographic, meteorological, and land studies, accompanied by the Indo-Mauritius joint satellite and private sector Leap-2. Paired with EOS-06 (Oceansat-3), it will deliver daily data via payloads like Ocean Colour Monitor and Scatterometer.
