Isro’s GSLV-F14/Insat-3DS mission successful; satellite to enhance weather forecast

Isro’s GSLV-F14/Insat-3DS mission successful; satellite to enhance weather forecast

SRIHARIKOTA: The Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro) on Saturday successfully launched Insat-3DS, a third-generation weather satellite that will augment meteorological services and improve the accuracy of weather forecasts in the country.

GSLV-F14 carrying Insat-3DS lifted off from the second launch pad at Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota at 5.35pm. Around 18 minutes after liftoff, the three-stage rocket placed the weather satellite in a 253km geosynchronous transfer orbit.

Isro chairman S Somanath said the launch vehicle had achieved a very good orbit. “The success of GSLV has given us the confidence to accomplish the NISAR (NASA-ISRO SAR) launch which is our next mission.”

Insat-3DS satellite is a follow-on mission of a third generation meteorological satellite from geostationary orbit. The satellite will augment the meteorological services along with the presently operational Insat-3D and Insat-3DR in-orbit satellites.

Isro said the satellite is an exclusive mission designed for enhanced meteorological observations and monitoring land and ocean surfaces for weather forecasting and disaster warning.

The payloads in the satellite include a six-channel imager, a 19-channel sounder, a data relay transponder and a satellite-aided search and rescue transponder.

Officials said the payloads would generate major geophysical parameters like sea and land surface temperatures, cloud properties, fog, rainfall, snow cover, snow depth, fire, smoke, aerosol, water vapour wind, upper tropospheric humidity, humidity profile and total ozone to study about atmosphere, land and ocean.

The data from the satellite would be used by various departments of ministry of earth sciences, including India Meteorology Department, National Centre for Medium Range Weather Forecasting, Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology, National Institute of Ocean Technology (NIOT) and Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services (INCOIS), to provide improved weather forecasts and meteorological services. The ministry of earth sciences has funded the launch.

‘Naughty boy has matured’

After the successful launch, mission director Tomy Joseph said, “The naughty boy has matured as a disciplined boy. Like PSLV, GSLV has also become reliable.”

V Narayanan, director, Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre, said, “From the GSLV D1 flight, the first flight, which lifted off 1526kg satellite, we have gradually improved the performance of the vehicle in an innovative and smart way and have increased payload capability by 50%. Today it carried a 2,274 kg satellite.”

M Sankaran, director, U R Rao Satellite Centre, said, “The launch vehicle has given textbook-like performance achieving additional altitude which means another three months of life for the spacecraft.”

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