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NEW DELHI, Feb 17: Union Minister for Earth Sciences Kiren Rijiju on Saturday said the INSAT-3DS satellite, placed into orbit by the ISRO's GSLV rocket, will transform meteorological services and enhance weather forecasting.
The INSAT-3DS satellite, fully funded by the Ministry of Earth Sciences, will augment the existing INSAT 3D and INSAT 3DR satellites which have been used for weather forecasting and are nearing the end of their mission life.
Rijiju took to X to thank the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) scientists for the successful launch of the satellite onboard the GSLV-F14 mission from the Sriharikota spaceport in Andhra Pradesh.
The satellite "will transform meteorological services, enhance weather forecasting and disaster preparedness, showcasing our commitment to further climate action. A proud moment for the nation," Rijiju said in his post.
At the end of the 27.5-hour countdown, the nearly 52-metre-tall GSLV-F14 lifted off majestically from the second launch pad at the Sriharikota spaceport at 5:35 pm on Saturday.
The three-stage rocket with a cryogenic upper stage, after a flight of about 20 minutes, separated from the vehicle as planned and placed the satellite into a Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit.
M Ravichandran, Secretary, Ministry of Earth Sciences said the INSAT-3DS satellite will help 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," Ravichandran told PTI.
"It has the imager and sounder which will enable observing clouds from space at different frequencies to better understand their characteristics.
"The sounder will give us information about water vapour content at different levels," he said.
Ravichandran said a better understanding of these two parameters will be assimilated into the weather forecasting models which will lead to improved forecasts.
"It will be very useful for cyclone tracking. It will be able to monitor the eye of a cyclone continuously and keep sending us information every 15 minutes. This is important for tracking cyclones," he said.
The 2,274-kg INSAT-3DS satellite has a mission life of 10 years and will provide advanced weather observations of both land and ocean surfaces, aiding in short-range forecasts of extreme weather events, providing visibility estimation for aviation, and studying forest fires, smoke, snow cover, and climate.
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