ISRO Successfully Launches Advanced Weather Satellite Insat-3DS
TIRUPATI: The GSLV rocket, for long called the ‘Naughty Boy’ for failing during previous launches, came of age on Saturday, flawlessly launching the Insat-3DS, a cutting-edge third-generation weather satellite. The satellite is expected to improve the accuracy of weather forecasts.
Eighteen minutes after lift-off at 5.35 pm from the Sriharikota spaceport, the Geostationary Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV F14) placed the 2.2 tonne satellite in its geosynchronous transfer orbit, 253 km above Earth. It will be later placed at its space home about 36,00 km above the Earth. The Indian National Satellite (Insat) has a mission life of 10 years.
This marked yet another milestone for the Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro). Isro chief S. Somanath said the next mission would be the launch of the Nisar (Nasa-Isro) satellite.
The Nisar is a low Earth orbit (LEO) observatory being jointly developed by Nasa and Isro and will map the globe in 12 days and provide data for understanding changes in Earth’s ecosystems, ice mass, vegetation biomass, sea level rise, groundwater and natural hazards including earthquakes, tsunamis, volcanoes and landslides.
Speaking after the launch, mission director Tomy Joseph remarked, “The naughty boy has matured as a disciplined boy. Like PSLV, GSLV has also become reliable.” The three-stage GSLV is 51.7 metres tall, with a lift-off mass of 420 tonnes.
The Insat-3DS, which joins the Insat-3D and Insat-3DR, has an imager, a sounder, and communication payloads including a satellite-aided search and rescue (SAS&R) transponder.
The new satellite has specific instruments for relaying data from ground-based weather stations and for detecting distress signals from emergency beacons. It will measure atmospheric, land and ocean conditions including temperatures, humidity, aerosols, rainfall, and more.
Union earth sciences ministry secretary M. Ravichandran said the Insat-3DS will study characteristics of clouds and movement of water vapour over India every 15 minutes. “With better temperature, wind and water vapour profiles, meteorologists will be able to study the weather phenomena in greater detail and issue better forecasts,” he told PTI.
Indian industries have played a significant role in its development. Data from Insat-3DS, which has been developed with help from the industry, will be utilised by the India Meteorology Department, National Centre for Medium Range Weather Forecasting.
The private sector also played a key role in the realisation of the satellite and the development of the launch vehicle.
Hyderabad-based Ananth Technologies said it had been involved in the manufacturing of 55 modules for GSLV rocket, including the navigation electronics, sensor interface modules, safety and arming units and telemetry interfaces. “We are thrilled,” said Ananth Technologies founder Dr Subba Rao Pavuluri.
AP Chief Minister Y.S Jagan Mohan Reddy congratulated the Isro team for the successful launch.
Satellite director Imteyaz Ahamed of Saturday’s mission, said the payloads of Insat-3DS have been significantly enhanced and the enhancements are in terms of configuration, content and capability resulting in increased imaging throughput.
