To catch cyclones: INSAT 3DS launch today; GSLV F-14 'naughty boy' rocket to be used for launch

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Today, ISRO will launch the INSAT-3DS, the third-generation weather satellite that will help in the early detection, monitoring and forecasting of destructive cyclones. The launch will be carried out by a GSLV F-14 rocket from the Satish Dhawan Rocket Station in Sriharikota at 5:35 pm.

This is the 16th launch of GSLV. The cost of manufacturing and launching the 2,274 kg satellite is Rs 480 crore. Apart from India, Burma, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Maldives and Gulf countries will also benefit from the satellite. The satellite will also benefit ships travelling from Africa to the Chinese border.

Cyclones wreak havoc in the Indian Ocean. Since 1970, cyclones have affected around 300,000 people. In a century, there have been 91 cyclones in the Indian Ocean, of which 63 were in the Bay of Bengal. There have been 22 destructive cyclones since 1990, 14 of them from the Bay of Bengal and the rest from the Arabian Sea. Many made landfall in the Gulf region, Bangladesh and the Odisha and Andhra coasts of India. Since 2003, India has started launching INSAT weather satellites to reduce the extent of damage caused by cyclones. Since then the death toll has dropped to less than 100. Seven INSAT satellites have been launched so far. INSAT-3DS is more powerful and sophisticated.

Cyclones will be detected

INSAT-3DS is unique because it can detect cyclones at the time of their formation itself. ISRO says it will have international standard accuracy. It can accurately measure and evaluate the energy rays rising from the land and sea to the clouds. INSAT-3DS is equipped with four instruments, such as imager, sounder, data relay transponder, search and rescue transponder, etc., which help to detect cyclones and reduce the damage caused by them.

The multispectral imager can detect six different types of energy rays with different wavelengths. It detects the different layers of vapour by the slight difference in colour. The sounder on INSAT-3DS can detect the presence of cyclones through sound variations over the ocean.