Narendra Modi says India's satellite launch shows "excellence, innovation and growing capabilities"

India’s government celebrated a milestone in spaceflight after ISRO’s GSLV-F17 rocket lifted off Friday from Sriharikota carrying EOS-05, described as India’s first Earth-observation satellite intended to operate from a geosynchronous orbit. The mission was confirmed successful, with ISRO chairman V Narayanan saying the spacecraft had been placed precisely and was healthy. Prime Minister Narendra Modi responded by praising the mission as reflecting skill, inventiveness, and expanding abilities in India’s space program. A Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson similarly pointed to India’s advancing space capabilities and closer cooperation between ISRO and domestic industry. Officials said that once operational, the satellite would provide strategically important data and represent a new capability for India.