ISRO successfully launches weather satellite INSAT-3DS onboard ‘naughty boy’ rocket (WATCH)
This is a crucial mission for the rocket nicknamed “naughty boy” for its spotty record. It is the rocket’s 16th mission overall and its 10th flight using the indigenously developed cryogenic engine.
FollowThe Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) on Saturday launched its weather satellite INSAT-3DS board spacecraft Geosynchronous Launch Vehicle (GSLV) F14, nicknamed the ‘naughty boy’ for its spotty record.
The GSLV-F14 rocket lifted off at 5.35 pm from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, the space agency, which began a countdown for the launch on Thursday, said. It is the rocket’s 16th mission overall and its 10th flight using the India-made cryogenic engine.
The goal of the INSAT-3DS satellite is to improve research on oceanic and surface observations of the Earth. Thick fumes trailing behind it, the 51.7-meter-tall GSLV-F14 lifted off the second launch pad at this spaceport with a spectacular soaring motion. Spectators who had assembled in this gallery since midday thundered with applause.
The goal of the GSLV's 16th flight is to launch the meteorological and disaster warning satellite INSAT-3DS. The space agency stated in a statement that the Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES) is providing all funding for the project.
The success of the mission will be critical to the GSLV's ability to launch NISAR, an Earth observation satellite being created in collaboration between NASA and ISRO, later this year. With a liftoff mass of 420 tonnes, the GSLV is a three-stage rocket that is 51.7 meters long, or almost 25% the length of the Statue of Unity, which is 182 meters tall. It will be retired by ISRO following a few more launches.
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