ISRO’s ‘Naughty Boy’ Rocket Set To Launch India’s Latest Weather Satellite, INSAT-3DS, Today

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is all set to launch its weather satellite INSAT-3DS board spacecraft Geosynchronous Launch Vehicle (GSLV) F14, nicknamed the ‘naughty boy’ for its spotty record.

The GSLV-F14 rocket will lift off at 5.35 pm on Saturday from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, the space agency, which began a countdown for the launch on Thursday, said. It will be the rocket’s 16th mission overall and its 10th flight using the India-made cryogenic engine.

The mission’s success will be crucial for the GSLV, which is scheduled to carry later this year the Earth observation satellite, NISAR, which is being jointly developed by NASA and ISRO.

According to a report by the Indian Express, at least four of the 15 launches using the GSLV so far have been unsuccessful. In comparison, only three of the 60 missions so far by ISRO’s workhorse PSLV (Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle), and none of the seven by its successor LVM-3, have failed.

The GSLV is a three-stage rocket that is 51.7 metres long – about a quarter of the length of the Statue of Unity, which stands 182 metres tall – and has a liftoff mass of 420 tonnes. ISRO plans to retire it after a few more launches.

The weather satellite is important for the nation as it will help boost India’s weather and climate monitoring services. Called INSAT-3DS, it is a third-generation upgraded, dedicated meteorological satellite. The satellite weighs 2,274 kg and has been built at a cost of about ₹480 crore. It is fully funded by the Ministry of Earth Sciences, said ISRO.