INSAT-3DS at in-orbit testing location by February 28

Bengaluru: INSAT-3DS, India’s latest weather satellite, is set to be at its In Orbit Testing (IOT) location by February 28, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) said on Thursday.

The space agency launched the GSLV-F14/INSAT-3DS mission from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota on February 17. “All four planned Liquid Apogee Motor (LAM) firings are completed. The spacecraft is now in geosynchronous orbit. It is expected to reach the IOT location by February 28,” ISRO said.

INSAT-3DS, fully funded by the Ministry of Earth Sciences, is aimed at enhancing the meteorological observations and monitoring of land and ocean surfaces for weather forecasting and disaster warning. 

The satellite will work with currently operational INSAT-3D and INSAT-3DR satellites to augment the meteorological services. It has as payloads a 6-channel imager, a 19-channel sounder, a data relay transponder, and a satellite-aided search and rescue responder.