The first satellite of India's INSAT-3D weather series, launched in 2013 with the country's first atmospheric sounder in geostationary orbit.
INSAT-3D was the first satellite of India's INSAT-3D weather series. It launched on an Ariane 5 from Kourou, French Guiana, on 26 July 2013 and brought India its first atmospheric sounder in geostationary orbit, alongside a six-channel imager.
Its latest orbital elements place it near 129.5° East with an inclination of about 2.3°. Its successors INSAT-3DR and INSAT-3DS sit near 74° and 82° East. The full weather fleet is on the ISRO weather satellite tracker.
INSAT-3D watches weather, land and sea from geostationary-orbit. A six-channel imager takes pictures of clouds and surfaces. A 19-channel sounder measures how temperature and humidity change with height, which helps forecasts and disaster warnings.
It also carries a data relay transponder and a search-and-rescue transponder. Unlike other INSAT satellites, it has no extra communication payload.
INSAT-3D weighed 2,060 kg at lift-off and measures 2.4 m × 1.6 m × 1.5 m. A solar panel gives 1,164 W. A 440 N liquid apogee motor and twelve 22 N thrusters handle orbit changes. It was designed for a seven-year life.
It was first meant to fly on India's GSLV but, after long delays, flew on an Ariane 5 ECA rocket (flight VA-214) from Kourou, French Guiana, in July 2013. Soon after launch, while deploying its solar panel, it lost contact with the ground and began to spin. Engineers restored contact and normal operations.
ISRO followed it with an improved twin, INSAT-3DR, in 2016. The public satellite catalogue carries INSAT-3D with an operational flag. Its estimated position appears on its live map page.