ISRO’s ‘naughty boy’ rocket launcheing India’s latest weather satellite today

In a crucial mission, the “naughty boy” rocket will be launched into space on Saturday evening from an ISS using a Geosynchronous Launch Vehicle (GSLV) to launch the satellite INSAT-3DS.

GSLV-F14 will launch from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota at 5.35 pm on Saturday, as reported by ISRO. It will be the rocket’s 16th overall mission and its 10TH flight, with help from an indigenous cryogenic engine.

The GSLV’s success in carrying NISAR, an Earth observation satellite jointly developed by NASA and ISRO, will be crucial to the mission.

With a length of 51.7 metres, the GSLV is a three-stage rocket that is approximately 25% shorter than the Statue of Unity, which stands at 182 metres tall. Its liftoff weight was 420 tonnes. The India-manufactured cryogenic engine is employed in the rocket, and ISRO intends to retire it after a few more launches.

The satellite that is being launched on Saturday is extremely important as it will contribute to the improvement of India’s weather and climate monitoring services. In addition, a third-generation upgraded meteorological satellite called INSAT-3DS is dedicated to this mission. With a weight of 2,274 kg, the satellite has been constructed at an estimated cost of about 480 crore. This project is fully backed by the Ministry of Earth Sciences, as stated by ISRO.

According to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Department of Space is now restricted from flying missions that are fully supported and approved by user agencies.

What is the reason behind calling GSLV F14 a “naughty boy”?

Launched: The GSLV F14 will carry the INSAT-3DS meteorological satellite on its 16th mission into space. A former ISRO chairman has referred to the spacecraft as the “naughty boy” of the Indian space programme.

Over the years of its delivery, the GSLV has encountered numerous obstacles and has a failure rate of 40%. In only six of its 15 space missions, GSLV F14 has experienced issues.

While the previous failed mission, involving this spacecraft in May 2023 was successful.

May 29, 2023, was the date for the last successful launch of the GSLV; however, it failed to deliver on August 12, 2021.

The ISRO has announced that the GSLV-F14 will be launched from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota. It will be the rocket’s 16th overall mission and its 10TH flight, with help from an indigenous cryogenic engine.

The GSLV’s success in carrying NISAR, the Earth observation satellite, jointly developed by NASA and ISRO, will be crucial to this mission.

According to ISRO, NISAR will provide “spatially and temporally consistent” data in 12 days, allowing scientists to study changes in Earth’s ecosystems, ice mass, sea level rise, and natural hazards like earthquakes and tsunamis.

Saving Lives with Better Forecasting:

Officials from ISRO stated that the new weather monitoring satellite is intended to enhance meteorological observations and track the location of land or ocean surfaces for accurate weather forecasting and disaster warning. India has been utilizing its weather office to provide more precise forecasts, which can often save lives, by relying on these eyes in the sky.

Indian weather satellites have been a game-changer in terms of weather patterns. Satellites are India’s perfect match for forecasting cyclones, as stated by Dr M Ravichandran, the secretary of the Ministry of Earth Sciences, who is an experienced atmosphere and ocean science specialist.

The occurrence of hurricanes in the Bay of Bengal during the 1970s resulted in around 300,000 fatalities. However, this was before the invention of Indian weather satellites. The cyclone forecast has been made so precise by India that it is using its own dedicated constellation of satellites, resulting in a death toll that can be in the double or even zero.

When operational, it will offer advanced weather monitoring of both surface land and oceans. Specifically, it will aid in short-range forecasting of extreme weather conditions such as thunderstorms; provide visibility estimation for aviation; and help in the analysis of forest fire (including smoke), snow cover or climate).