INSAT-3D, the Advanced Meteorological Satellite of India Launched Successfully

INSAT-3D, the advanced meteorological satellite of India was launched successfully by the European rocket, Arianespace's Ariane 5 rocket, from the spaceport of Kourou in French Guiana on 26 July 2013.
The satellite will give a push to the weather forecasting as well as help in facilitating disaster warning services.
Arianespace's Ariane 5 rocket of European space consortium launched the Alphasat satellites as well as INSAT-3D. Alphasat is the largest-ever telecommunication satellite of Europe.
This satellite is the result of large-scale public-private partnership between Inmarsat as well as European Space Agency.

Features of INSAT-3D

• The new satellite, INSAT-3D will be operational for next seven years, i.e., up to 2020.
• The aim of the satellite is to make a crucial difference to the disaster warning systems as well as weather forecasting of India.
• INSAT-3D will also provide monitoring of the ocean as well as land areas, apart from providing meteorological observation.
• INSAT-3D will facilitate new dimension to the weather monitoring because of its atmospheric sounding system. The atmospheric sounding system provides the vertical profiles of integrated ozone, humidity as well as temperature, from top of the atmosphere.
• It is important to note that the imaging system and mechanism of INSAT-3D has a lot of improvement in comparison to INSAT-3A as well as KALPANA.
• The satellite has the lift-off mass of 2060 kg.
• It will facilitate continuity to the previous missions as well as also help in increasing the capability of providing meteorological and search and rescue services.
• INSAT-3D carries the newly developed 19 channel sounder, which is the first payload of this kind to be flown to the ISRO satellite mission.
The primary users of the Satellite Aided Search and Rescue service in India include Directorate General of Shipping, Defence Services, fishermen, Indian Coast Guard as well as Airports Authority of India.
The alert services include a wide area of Indian Ocean region, as well as covers Sri Lanka, Tanzania, India, Bangladesh, Nepal, Seychelles, Bhutan and Maldives.

National child policy 2012
Inflation-linked bonds
Sexual Harassment Bill, 2013
World Malaria Report 2012

CURRENT AFFAIRS PACKAGE-9

1. Airtel has announced the launch of their voice service, “Apna Chaupal”, that will provide information in regional languages on agriculture, devotion, jibs, health and education.
2. ‘One Billion Rising’ was a campaign held on February 14, 2013, to protest violence against women.
3. India’s first wildlife skywalk will come up in Maenam wildlife sanctuary in Sikkim.
4. The Union Budget 2013 has proposed setting up of two ports—one in Sagar, West Bengal and the other in Andhra Pradesh
   The new communication satellite launched by NASA on 31 January 2013 to stay in touch with its space station astronauts- TDRS(Tracking and Data Relay Satellite)
5. Solicitor-General of India, who resigned from his office on 4 February 2013- Rohinton F Nariman
6. President of Republic of Mauritius who visited India from 3 Jan 2013 to 10 Jan 2013 and was honoured with the Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Award- Rajkeswur Purryag
7. The King of Bhutan who visited India from 23 to 30 January 2013 and was the Chief Guest for the Republic Day Celebration- Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck
8. Code name given to secret plan for executing Jaish-e-Mohammad terrorist Afzal Guru in Tihar Jail on 9 February 2013 -Operation Three Star
9. The Country which banned the Japanese cartoon Doraemon in the third week of February 2013 because of the fears of Hindi invasion- Bangladesh
   
   FOR MORE CURRENT AFFAIRS                                                                              current affair package-7                                      CURRENT AFFAIRS PACKAGE 8