India on Saturday successfully launched its INSAT-3DS meteorological satellite, aimed at ensuring the continuity of services for monitoring land and ocean surfaces for weather forecasting, disaster warning, and providing satellite-aided research and rescue services.

The satellite, aboard a Geosynchronous Launch Vehicle (GSLV) rocket, took off from the Indian Space Research Organization’s spaceport in Sriharikota, about 110km from Chennai.

A Geosynchronous Launch Vehicle (rocket) carrying the third generation meteorological satellite lifted off from the Indian Space Research Organisation’s (ISRO)spaceport in Sriharikota, nearly 110km from Chennai, at 5.35 pm (Indian time).

The vehicle has successfully placed the satellite into the intended geosynchronous transfer orbit, the ISRO said in a post on its official X, formerly Twitter, 13 minutes after the rocket’s launch.

The satellite carries imager payloads, sounder payloads, data relay transponders, and Search and Rescue transponders to study the cloud properties, fog, rainfall, snow cover, snow depth, fire, smoke, land and ocean, Indian Space Research Organization has said.

Various departments of the Indian Ministry of Earth Sciences like the India Meteorological Department, the National Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasting, the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology, and the National Institute of Ocean Technology would benefit from the data provided by INSAT-3DS to provide improved weather forecasts and meteorological services.

 The life of the INSAT-3DS mission is expected to be around 10 years.