ISRO to launch GSLV, new weather and disaster warning satellite on February 17

ISRO is preparing to launch its next weather satellite on the evening of February 17 to enhance India’s weather forecast and disaster warning system. The INSAT-3DS satellite will be placed into geostationary orbit by GSLV and the satellite will embark on its sixteenth mission from the Satish Dhawan Space Center in Sriharikota.

GSLV-F1/INSAT-3DS, fully funded by the Department of Earth Sciences, will enhance weather observations and land and ocean monitoring for forecasting and disaster warning. ISRO said it will also enhance meteorological services along with the operational INSAT-3D and INSAT-3DR satellites.

The data from the satellite will eventually be used by several organizations including the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD), National Center for Medium Range Weather Forecasts (NCMRWF), Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM), National Institute of Ocean Technology (NIOT), National Institute of Oceanography Information Services Center (INCOIS).

In addition to monitoring the Earth’s surface, the satellite will conduct observations of the ocean and its environment on different spectral channels of meteorological importance. It will provide vertical profiles of various meteorological parameters of the atmosphere and provide satellite-assisted search and rescue services.

The new satellite will be powered by I-2k solar panels and lithium-ion 100Ah batteries to support the eclipse. GSLV is about 51.7 meters tall and is a three-stage rocket with a lift-off mass of 420 tons. Its first stage (GS1) consists of a solid propellant (S139) engine capable of carrying 139 tons of propellant and four buried propellant stage (L40) connectors capable of carrying 40 tons of liquid propellant. The second stage (GS2) is also a buried propellant stage capable of carrying 40 tons of propellant. The third stage (GS3) is a cryogenic stage carrying 15 tons of liquid oxygen (LOX) and liquid hydrogen (LH2) propellants.

The space agency has used GSLV to launch various communications and navigation satellites in the past.