India is set to launch its newest weather satellite this Saturday, using a rocket with a notorious reputation within the Indian space agency.
The Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV), affectionately dubbed the "naughty boy" by a former chairman of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), has faced criticism due to its history of underperformance. Out of 15 flights, the GSLV has encountered issues in six, resulting in a failure rate of 40 percent.
Scheduled to lift off from Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh at 5:35 pm on Saturday, the GSLV will carry the INSAT-3DS satellite, a vital component in bolstering India's weather and climate monitoring services.
In contrast to the GSLV, its heavier counterpart, the Launch Vehicle Mark-3 or 'Bahubali rocket,' boasts a flawless track record with seven successful flights. The Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV), another staple of ISRO's fleet, maintains an impressive 95 percent success rate.
The GSLV stands as a three-stage rocket, towering at 51.7 meters long and weighing 420 tonnes at liftoff. Powered by an indigenous cryogenic engine, ISRO plans to retire the GSLV after a few more missions.
The INSAT-3DS satellite, weighing 2,274 kg and constructed at a cost of approximately ₹480 crore, promises enhanced meteorological observations critical for weather forecasting and disaster management. With funding solely provided by the Ministry of Earth Sciences, ISRO emphasizes the satellite's importance in saving lives through improved forecasts.
M Ravichandran, Secretary of the Ministry of Earth Sciences, praised India's weather satellites as "game changers," noting their role in significantly reducing fatalities caused by cyclones.
Meanwhile, Ashim Kumar Mitra of the India Meteorological Department underscored the necessity of replacing aging satellites like INSAT-3D to maintain accurate forecasting capabilities.
He further said, "Satellites basically measure the radiance coming from the Earth's surface and cloud tops. By making such measurements at appropriate wavelengths and applying physical and statistical techniques, it is possible to compute a wide range of products for weather monitoring and forecasting. Further, the satellite meteorological data on a global scale are vital inputs in Numerical Weather Prediction (NWP) models as initial conditions."
In addition to weather monitoring, the new satellite features a search-and-rescue transponder vital for locating distress signals from ships and individuals in remote areas.
