INSAT-3DS launch today: Why is the rocket called ‘naughty boy’ of ISRO?

ISRO will launch the weather satellite INSAT-3DS on Saturday (PTI)

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) will launch its meteorological satellite INSAT-3DS aboard spacecraft GSLV F14 on Saturday evening, with the aim of more accurate and informative weather forecasts and natural disaster warnings.

The INSAT-3DS will be carried by the GSLV F14 rocket during launch on February 17 at 5:35pm from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC-SHAR) in Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh, the Indian space agency said in a release.

This is the 16th space mission for the Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV), and it aims to deploy the INSAT-3DS satellite into the Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit (GTO). This mission has been funded entirely by the Ministry of Earth Sciences and is a major step forward in India’s space advancements.

The launch of INSAT-3DS holds a lot of significance for India’s space agency as it is equipped to provide extremely accurate weather forecast information by studying the surface of the ocean, also being helpful in disaster prevention.

While the INSAT-3DS launch is extremely crucial for India’s weather agencies, its carrier GSLV F14 has been known to run into problems often, dubbed the “naughty boy” of India’s space agency.

Why is GSLV F14 called ‘naughty boy’?

The GSLV F14 spacecraft will embark on its 16th mission as it carries the INSAT-3DS meteorological satellite into space. However, the spacecraft has been dubbed the “naughty boy” of the Indian space programme by a former chairman of the ISRO.

The GSLV has hit several bumps while delivering in the past, and holds a failure rate of 40 per cent. Out of its total 15 space missions till date, GSLV F14 has faced problems in six of them.

The last mission involving this spacecraft was in May 2023, which was a success, but the one before that had failed.

INSAT-3DS mission details

According to the ISRO, the objective of Saturday’s mission GSLV-F14/INSAT-3DS would provide continuity of services to existing operational INSAT-3D (launched in 2013) and INSAT-3DR (September 2016) for enhanced meteorological observations, monitoring of land and ocean surfaces for weather forecasting and disaster warning, as well as to provide Satellite aided Research and Rescue services (SAR) among others.

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