India, Sept. 4 -- ISRO's state-of-the art Earth observation spacecraft, the country's first ever imaging satellite intended for the Geosynchronous orbit, EOS-05 lifted off from the spaceport here on Friday.

Set to provide real-time imagery and help the nation in areas including agriculture, and disaster management, a GSLV-F17 rocket carrying the payload headed into the wide skies carrying the satellite, intended for delivery at the Sub-geosynchronous transfer orbit (Sub-GTO) in the wee hours.

After the completion of a smooth 27-hour countdown, which commenced at 23.30 hours on Wednesday, the rocket, with a 2,367 kg payload mass, began its ascent on dot at 2.55 AM from the second launch pad at Satish Dhawan Space Centre. The odd hour and...