On Monday, ISRO will launch PSLV-C52, its first mission of 2022

The Indian Space Research Organisation's first launch mission of 2022, to orbit earth observation satellite EOS-04 atop PSLV-C52, began a 25-hour countdown early on Sunday, according to the space agency.

The Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle, which will also carry two tiny co-passenger satellites, is set to launch at 05:59 a.m. on Monday from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre's First Launch Pad in Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh.

"PSLV-C52/EOS-04 Mission: The countdown process of 25 hours and 30 minutes leading to the launch has commenced at 04:29 hours today," the city-headquartered ISRO said in a tweet.

The launch vehicle is designed to place the 1,710 kg EOS-04 earth observation satellite into a 529 km sun-synchronous polar orbit.

EOS-04 is a Radar Imaging Satellite that will deliver high-quality photos in all weather circumstances for applications such as agriculture, forestry, and plantation management, soil moisture and hydrology, and flood mapping.

The mission will also carry two tiny satellites as co-passengers, including a student satellite (INSPIREsat-1) developed by the Indian Institute of Space Science and Technology (IIST) in collaboration with the University of Colorado, Boulder's Laboratory of Atmospheric and Space Physics. NTU, Singapore, and NCU, Taiwan, have also contributed.

This spacecraft has two scientific payloads that will help researchers better understand ionosphere dynamics and coronal heating processes on the sun.

The other is an Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) technology demonstrator satellite (INS-2TD), which is a predecessor to the India-Bhutan Joint Satellite (INS-2B).

The satellite's payload, a thermal imaging camera, aids in the assessment of land surface temperature, water surface temperature of wetland or lakes, vegetation demarcation (crops and forests), and thermal inertia (day and night).

This will be PSLV's 54th flight and the 23rd mission using six PSOM-XLs in the PSLV-XL configuration (strap-on motors).