The GSLV-F14 lifted off from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre on its 16th mission overall and its 10th flight using the indigenously developed super-cooled cryogenic engine and successfully placed INSAT-3DS satellite into a precise orbit.

Meteorological satellite INSAT-3DS was launched into space onboard a Geosynchronous Launch Vehicle (GSLV) this evening in what was being termed as a crucial mission for ISRO's rocket nicknamed “Naughty Boy' by former ISRO Chairman K Sivan. The launch took place at 5:35pm on 17-Feb-2024.

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

NISAR will map the entire globe in 12 days and provide “spatially and temporally consistent” data for understanding changes in Earth’s ecosystems, ice mass, sea level rise and natural hazards such as earthquakes and tsunamis, according to ISRO.

Here are some points to know about satellite INSAT-3DS' launch:

Purpose this satellite will serve: The satellite will help attain more accurate, precise and informative weather forecasts by studying the surface of the ocean and will be able to provide natural disaster warnings.

GSLV F14's 16th Mission: This 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).

Funding: The GSLV F14 will embark on its 16th mission which has been funded entirely by the Ministry of Earth Sciences and marks a major step forward in India's space advancements.

Success Rate: Former chairman of the ISRO termed GSLV-F14 as “Naughty Boy" as it has been known to run into problems often. It holds a failure rate of 40 per cent as out of its total 15 space missions so far, GSLV F14 has faced problems in 6 of them. Therefore, the successful launch of this mission is of much significance to ISRO.