India launches advanced weather satellite in textbook style

Sriharikota Andhra Pradesh India successfully launched its INSAT3DR advanced weather satellite in copybook style on Thursday evening using its heavy geosynchronous satellite launch vehicle GSLVF05 rocketAround 17 minutes after liftoff from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre here at 450 pm the GSLV rocket slung the 2211 kg satellite into a geosynchronous transfer orbit GTO from where it would be guided to its final geostationary orbit The launch was delayed by 40 minutes as the fuelling of the third stage of the rocket took longer than expectedWith the launch of INSAT3DR the Indian space agency has successfully launched three satellites weighing over two tonnes of the six satellites weighing over two tonnes it had flown in a GSLV rocketThe successful flight of the GSLV rocket on Thursday gives the Indian space programme a muchneeded boost as getting the third stage cryogenic engine right is important for its future space programmes as well as for commercial launchesIndian space scientists have spent around two decades and around Rs 500 crore 75 millionin conceiving and developing the cryogenic technologyIndian Space Research Organisation ISRO scientists at the mission control centre were visibly happy They slapped each other on the back and hugged each other once the rocket ejected the satellite which can also aid in search and rescue SAR missions into its intended orbitToday we reached one more landmark successfully putting the weather monitoring satellite into orbit ISROs Chairman AS Kiran Kumar saidAccording to ISRO the satellite incorporates technological improvements like a imaging in middle infrared band to provide nighttime pictures of low clouds and fog b imaging in two thermal infrared bands for better estimating sea surface temperature and c higher spatial resolution in the visible and thermal infrared bandsAlso on board the INSAT3DR is a satelliteaided search and rescue transponder that operates at 40605 MHz to pick up and relay signals from distress beacons of maritime aviation and land based users to the Indian Mission Control Centre located at BengaluruAccording to ISRO the major users of this technology in India are the defence services the Coast Guard the Airports Authority of India the Directorate General of Shipping and fishermenThe Indian alert service region includes a large part of the Indian Ocean region covering India Bangladesh Bhutan the Maldives Nepal Seychelles Sri Lanka and TanzaniaThe INSAT3DR also carries a data relay transponder DRT for receiving meteorological hydrological and oceanographic data from remote uninhabited locations in the coverage area from platforms like automatic weather stations automatic rain gauges and agro met stationsThe satellites life expectancy is 10 yearsThe GSLV is a three stage rocket The first stage is fired by solid fuel and its four strapon motors by liquid fuel The second powered by liquid fuel and the third is the ISROdeveloped cryogenic engine that is more efficient as it provides more thrust for every kilogram of propellant burntISRO is perfecting the crucial cryogenic engine technology to save precious foreign exchange by launching heavier satellites on its ownISRO currently relies on the European Space Agencys Ariane rocket to launch its heavy communication satellitesIndia pays around Rs 500 crore 75 million as the launch fee for sending up a 35 tonne communication satellite The satellite cost is separateISRO can now launch satellites weighing around 225 tonnes till such time it readies an advanced GSLV variant GSLVMark III that can lug satellites weighing around four tonnesThe yearend is expected to see the launch from here of the GSLVMkIII with the GSAT19 communication satellite weighing around 32 tonnes the heaviest to be lifted by an Indian rocket