Delhi, 16 February (H.S): The Indian space agency, ISRO, has kicked off the countdown for the launch of its latest weather satellite INSAT-3DS on Saturday evening. The 16th mission of the GSLV rocket, code-named GSLV-F14, will take off from the Sriharikota rocket port in Andhra Pradesh at 5.35 pm. The rocket will carry the 51.7 metre tall INSAT-3DS, weighing 420 tonnes, to place it in a Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit. This will be followed by orbit-raising manoeuvres to position the satellite in a Geo-Stationary Orbit.
The INSAT-3DS is fully funded by the Ministry of Earth Sciences and is designed to provide enhanced meteorological observations and monitoring of land and ocean surfaces for weather forecasting and disaster warning. It will work in conjunction with two other operational weather satellites, INSAT-3D and INSAT-3DR. The satellite data will be used by various departments under the Ministry of Earth Sciences to improve weather forecasts and provide meteorological services.
The primary objectives of this mission are to monitor the Earth’s surface and atmosphere, as well as provide data collection and dissemination capabilities. This launch marks another milestone for ISRO in their efforts towards advancing India’s space technology and capabilities.
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