ISRO to launch meteorological satellite INSAT-3DS for better Weather

Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) is going to launch meteorological satellite INSAT-3DS on February 17. The INSAT-3DS mission will be launched from Satish Dhawan Space Center (SDSC) SHAR, Sriharikota.

GSLV F14 will be launched by:

• The INSAT-3DS satellite will be launched by Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle F14 (GSLV F14).
• The INSAT-3DS satellite is a follow-up mission to the third generation meteorological satellite to be placed in geostationary orbit.
• It is completely funded by the Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES).

Benefits of INSAT-3DS:

• Through INSAT-3DS we will be able to get all the smallest information about the weather.
• With the help of INSAT-3DS satellite, better weather forecasts will be available and will also help in disaster warning.
• Through this, land and ocean surfaces can be monitored for disaster warning.

Objective of INSAT-3DS Mission:

• According to ISRO, the primary objectives of INSAT-3DS mission are as follows:
  • Monitoring the Earth's Surface
  • Providing Information about Important Weather Events
  • Observing the Ocean and its Environment
  • To provide vertical profiles of various meteorological parameters of the atmosphere
  • To provide Data Collection
  • To provide data dissemination capabilities from Data Collection Platform (DCP) and satellite assisted search and rescue services.

Payloads associated with INSAT-3DS:

• INSAT-3DS is carrying many important instruments to achieve its objectives, these mainly include: 
  • Six Channel Imager
  • 19 Channel Sounder
  • Data Relay Transponder (DRT)
  • Satellite Aided Search and Rescue Transponder (SAS&R).

Who will use INSAT-3DS Data:

• MoES departments to leverage satellite data for improved weather forecasting. Mainly among them: 
  • India Meteorological Department (IMD)
  • National Center 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)

Important facts about INSAT-3DS mission:

• The space agency said that in its 16th mission, GSLV aims to deploy the satellite in Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit (GTO). The subsequent orbit raising process will ensure that the satellite is positioned in geostationary orbit.
• The satellite is designed to monitor land and ocean surfaces for weather forecasting and disaster warning.
• The satellite will also enhance meteorological services along with the currently operating INSAT-3D and INSAT-3DR satellites.
• Indian industries have made significant contributions to the manufacturing of satellites.

About Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle F14:

• GSLV is used for earth resource survey, communication, navigation and any other missions to launch spacecraft.
• According to ISRO, the GSLV is a three-stage, 51.7 meter long vehicle with a mass of 420 tonnes.
• The first stage (GS1) contains a solid propellant (S139) motor. It contains 139 tons of propellant and four Earth-storable propellant stages (L40) strap-ons. Each of these contains 40 tonnes of liquid propellant.
• The second stage (GS2) is also an Earth-storable propellant stage filled with 40 tons of propellant. The third stage (GS3) is a cryogenic stage. It has a propellant loading of 15 tons of liquid oxygen (LOX) and liquid hydrogen (LH2).
• ISRO said that during atmospheric regime, the satellite is protected by the ogive payload fairing.