On September 4, 2026, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) successfully launched the GSLV-F17/EOS-05 mission. This success comes in the wake of two consecutive failures of the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV). On May 18, 2025, PSLV-C61 failed following an anomaly during the third stage while carrying the EOS-09 satellite. This was followed by the failure of PSLV-C62 on 12 January 2026, shortly before third-stage separation. Following the January 2026 failure, ISRO remained without a launch for nearly seven months.There could understandably have been some apprehension within the ISRO community about this launch as well, given the historically challenging and unforgiving nature of the Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV) and particularly its cryogenic upper stage. The PSLV, long regarded as ISRO’s workhorse launcher, had experienced two consecutive failures in the recent past. On the other hand, the performance of the GSLV has historically been mixed. The GSLV Mk I, which used a Russian cryogenic upper stage and is now retired, undertook six missions, including two outright failures and two partial failures. The GSLV Mk II, equipped with an indigenous cryogenic stage and still in service, had completed 12 missions, with 10 successes before this mission. Promisingly, the GSLV Mk II’s success rate has been significantly better than that of the earlier Mk I configuration.Illustration: Pariplab Chakraborty.Interestingly, ISRO appears to have revised the nomenclature of its GSLV missions, with the earlier GSLV Mk I now being referred to as GSLV Mk II, while the vehicle previously designated GSLV Mk II is now simply referred to as GSLV. Following the failure of the GSLV-F10 mission in 2021, the subsequent four missions of the GSLV have been successful, indicating a period of improved reliability. The previous GSLV mission, GSLV-F16, had successfully launched NISAR (NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar) mission, the satellite jointly developed by ISRO and NASA, in July 2025.The Earth Observation Satellite (EOS) series reflects ISRO’s effort to establish a dedicated constellation of advanced remote-sensing (also known as earth observation) satellites, with most positioned in low Earth orbit (LEO) and some in geostationary orbit (GEO). At present, four EOS-series satellites are operational in LEO. Two of these carry Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) sensors, enabling all-weather imaging for applications such as flood mapping, soil-moisture assessment and hydrology. With EOS-05, ISRO is expanding this capability to GEO, where the satellite is expected to provide continuous, near-real-time observation of the area under coverage, with a spatial resolution of about 42 metres. In comparison, the LEO-based EOS series systems offer resolutions ranging from about 6 to 360 metres. Deploying satellites across different orbits allows ISRO to combine the higher spatial resolution of LEO platforms with the wider and more persistent coverage offered from GEO. Although primarily intended for civilian applications, these satellites have significant dual-use potential and are therefore highly relevant to India’s defence requirements. SAR based satellites have major utility for armed forces too. However, India would require a larger and more diverse EOS constellation to adequately meet its growing strategic needs. Notably, EOS-05 is actually a replacement for EOS-03 (GISAT-1), which was lost in a launch failure in 2021. ISRO is planning a few more satellites in this series and a satellite called EOS-10 (Oceansat-3A) could be launched around March 2027.In regards to the use of satellites in disaster management, there could be one important learning from the recent high-altitude collapse of rock and ice triggering a catastrophic flash flood near the Nepal–Tibet border on 26 August 2026. The NISAR satellite operates in a near-polar, sun-synchronous dawn-dusk orbit at an altitude of approximately 747 km. There are views and counterviews in regards to the capabilities highlighted by NASA and ISRO about this satellite at the backdrop of the recent Nepal disaster. It is obvious that NISAR failed to give any early warning of this catastrophic event. Possibly, the disaster was difficult to anticipate because it resulted from the sudden failure of a high-altitude glacier–rock system in a remote and poorly monitored region. It appears that satellites like NISAR are not designed to detect subtle deformation across thousands of glaciers and unstable slopes.This clearly demonstrates that even state-of-the-art single satellites may be not sufficient to monitor and respond to major disasters. NISAR does not pass over the Himalayan region on every orbit. While it completes about 14 orbits a day, its polar, sun-synchronous orbit means that each pass covers a different region as the Earth rotates below it. Normally, only a limited number of passes align with the Himalayan region, restricting the frequency of observations over a specific area. This may partly explain India’s efforts to develop a combination of LEO and GEO satellites to minimise data gaps and provide more continuous coverage. Such a multi-orbit satellite architecture would have significant civilian as well as military utility.The success of the GSLV-F17/EOS-05 mission will undoubtedly boost ISRO’s confidence. It was unfortunate that a globally recognised space agency such as ISRO went through a nearly seven-month launch hiatus. The current situation suggests that all is not well with ISRO.Shockingly at present India’s space programme faces a paradox of budgetary constraints alongside significant under-utilisation of allocated funds. The Parliamentary Standing Committee in its 410th report on Science and Technology (2026-2027) has expressed concern that the Department of Space has not been able to utilise its allocations effectively. There are issues surrounding fluctuating government resource allocation on one hand and the inability to fully convert available budgetary resources into timely programme expenditure on the other. It is also important to note that currently ISRO is facing its worst human power shortages, with nearly 30% of its sanctioned positions remaining vacant while some top scientists are found leaving for the private sector. India’s private space sector is found making rapid progress. ISRO has transferred the technology for producing launch vehicles such as the PSLV and SSLV to private and other public-sector agencies. Thus, trained manpower with expertise mainly in such systems is likely to be in high demand in the private sector.Recent launch failures, delays and capacity constraints have raised questions about the organisation’s ability to sustain the pace and reliability expected of it. Is ISRO at present undertaking too many projects simultaneously? Is the shift in focus towards the human spaceflight mission (Project Gaganyaan) and the expanding Moon program impacting progress on other strategically important missions? Owing to manpower and other related issues, has the time come for ISRO to reprioritise its agenda and focus more on strategic requirements first, before investing into so-called trendy fields like the human spaceflight program, space station and other planetary missions?ISRO is best placed to address its manpower shortages, project delays and other organisational challenges. Its track record demonstrates a capacity to overcome various setbacks. The successful EOS-05 mission could therefore mark the beginning of a process of renewal and reinvention.Ajey Lele is a researcher and is the author of the book Institutions That Shaped Modern India: ISRO.This piece was first published on The India Cable – a premium newsletter from The Wire – and has been updated and republished here. To subscribe to The India Cable, click here.