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Chennai
ISRO (Indian Space Research Organisation) on Saturday (Feb 17) successfully launched INSAT-3DS satellite marking a second such feat in the new year. ISRO's Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV) was used for the launch that took place at 5:35 pm (IST) at Satish Dhawan Space Centre's Sriharikota range in southern India. INSAT-3DS has now been successfully placed in the intended orbit.
The GSLV-F14, powered by its S-139 solid-fuel motor and four L-40 liquid-fuel boosters, lifted-off from the launchpad, completing its mission in around 19 minutes when it placed the satellite in a highly-elliptical (egg-shaped) orbit around Earth.
INSAT-3DS satellite, built by ISRO with contributions from Indian industry, weighs 2274 kg. It has been funded by the Indian Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES). The satellite will be working along with its predecessors INSAT-3D and INSAT-3DR to augment meteorological services.
Watch | India's ISRO launches advanced weather satellite INSAT-3DS from Sriharikota
"Naughty boy rocket is now a disciplined boy," said Mission Director Tomy Joseph as he announced success of the mission. He was alluding to troubles in the past in launches involving the GSLV.
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INSAT-3DS has been injected in a precise orbit and compared to the previous mission the payload carrying capacity of this rocket has been increased by 50 kg, he added.
"The confidence on GSLV is further high. The next mission is the NASA-ISRO joint mission NISAR. This gives us greater confidence," said Chairman ISRO, Dr S Somanath.
NISAR is the first satellite jointly built by ISRO and NASA.
Various departments of the Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES) such as the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD), National Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasting (NCMRWF), Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM), National Institute of Ocean Technology (NIOT), Indian National Center for Ocean Information Services (INCOIS) and various other agencies and institutes will be using the INSAT-3DS Satellite data to provide improved weather forecasts and meteorological services.
In addition to its weather-related functionality, the satellite also carries a Satellite Aided Search & Rescue transponder (SAS&R). For example, fishermen who have a device that can communicate with this transponder can send distress messages to the satellite and the satellite would broadcast it to the relevant agencies, who can then mobilise to provide succour. Given that the satellite is finally placed 36,000 km above the earth's equator, it can view approximately 1/3rd the earth's surface and offers its coverage across a large area, when compared to satellites in lower orbits.