GSLV F14/INSAT-3DS Mission: GSLV F14 is Called ‘Naughty Boy'

Producer:  Mehak Pal

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is all set to launch its meteorological satellite INSAT-3DS aboard spacecraft GSLV F14 on Feb 17, 2024, from the Sriharikota launch site.

The satellite aims for more accurate and informative weather forecasts and natural disaster warnings.

It is the 16th space mission for the Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV), and it aims to deploy the INSAT-3DS satellite into the Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit (GTO). 

The satellite's carrier GSLV F14 has been known to run into problems often, dubbed the “naughty boy” of India's space agency.

The GSLV holds a failure rate of 40 percent. Out of its total 15 space missions to date, GSLV F14 has faced problems in six of them.

According to the ISRO, the objective of the mission is to provide continuity of services to existing operational INSAT-3D (launched in 2013) and INSAT-3DR (September 2016) for enhanced meteorological observations.

This weather monitoring satellite will serve various departments under the Ministry of Earth Sciences, the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD), the National Institute of Ocean Technology (NIOT), the National Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasting, and the Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services

The 51.7-metre tall rocket will carry imager payloads, sounder payloads, data relay transponders, and Satellite Aided Search and Rescue transponders.