Moving ahead on its mission to study the Earth and ocean surfaces, ISRO on Saturday successfully launched its next generation weather observation satellite INSAT-3DS onboard a GSLV rocket into a precise orbit. The flawless mission prompted the ISRO to virtually heave a sigh of relief over the challenging GSLV rocket technology, as the director of today’s mission said the “naughty boy has matured into an obedient, disciplined boy,” apparently referring to its past unsuccessful missions.

ISRO Chairman S Somanath said the success gave the space agency “greater confidence,” as the GSLV will be next deployed in the NISAR mission, a collaborative effort with the US’ NASA. The INSAT-3DS satellite, weighing 2274 kg is a follow-on mission of the third-generation meteorological satellite to be placed in a geostationary orbit and is funded by the Ministry of Earth Sciences.