INSAT-3D is a dedicated meteorological spacecraft designed for enhanced meteorological observation and monitoring of land and ocean surfaces of weather forecasting and disaster warning. INSAT-3D is configured on I-2K bus with Sounder, Imager and Data Relay Transponder (DRT) and Satellite Aided Search & Rescue (SAS&R) Payloads. INSAT-3D was flown on July 26, 2013 with a lift of mass of about 2100 kg by ARIANE-5/GSLV-MK II /Soyuz launcher and expected minimum mission life is seven years. Communication Payload sub systems are configured to support INSAT system for DRT SAS&R and Meteorological Payload services.
The mission goal is stated as "to provide an operational, environmental & storm warning system to protect life & property and also to monitor earth's surface and carryout oceanic observations and also provide data dissemination capabilities"
The satellite has 3 payloads
- Meteorological (MET) - IMAGER and SOUNDER
- Data Relay Transponder (DRT)
- Satellite Aided Search and Rescue (SAS&R)
The geophysical parameters that will be extracted from INSAT3D are Outgoing Longwave Radiation (OLR), Quantitative Precipitation Estimation (QPE), Sea Surface Temperature (SST), Snow Cover, Snow Depth, Fire, Smoke, Aerosol, Cloud Motion Vector (CMV), Water Vapour Wind (WVW), Upper Tropospheric Humidity (UTH), Temperature, Humidity Profile and Total Ozone, Fog, Visible Wind Vector and other value added parameters from Imager and Sounder.