The Indian Space Research Organisation on Monday morning successfully placed the Earth Observation Satellite EOS-04 into the intended orbit through the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle PSLV-C52. It also launched two small satellites.

The EOS-04 is a radar imaging satellite designed to provide high-quality images in all weather conditions for flood mapping, agriculture, forestry and plantations, soil moisture and hydrology. It has a mission life of 10 years.

PSLV-C52 was launched into space at 5.59 am with the three satellites on board from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Andhra Pradesh’s Sriharikota island. It entered orbit at 6.17 am.

This was ISRO’s first launch mission this year and one held under the new chairperson S Somanath.

“The primary satellite, the EOS-04 has been put in a precise orbit,” Somanath said, according to The Hindu. “The co-passenger satellites have been placed into the right orbit.”

The co-passenger satellites include the INS-2TD, which is a part of the India-Bhutan joint satellite. It will assess land and water surface temperatures, delineation of crops and forest and thermal inertia.

The INSPIREsat-1, a student satellite, was also put into orbit. It is a collaboration between Indian Institute of Space Science and Technology and the University of Colorado in the United States. Through this satellite, scientists expect to understand several aspects of the sun and the ionosphere.

The ionosphere is a part of the earth’s upper atmosphere. It reflects and modifies radio waves used for communication and navigation.