Which of the following was a meteorological satellite for weather forecasting?
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 1
The correct answer is Option (1) → Insat 3D
A meteorological satellite watches the weather: it photographs clouds and measures temperature and moisture in the atmosphere, and the data are used for weather forecasts and cyclone warnings. INSAT-3D, launched by ISRO in July 2013, is such a satellite: its imager and atmospheric sounder give the India Meteorological Department pictures and temperature and humidity profiles of the atmosphere.
Why the other options are incorrect
Option (2) Aryabhatta — Incorrect. India’s first satellite (1975), an experimental scientific satellite, not a weather satellite.
Option (3) Mangalyaan — Incorrect. The Mars Orbiter Mission (2013), which studied Mars, not the Earth’s weather.
Option (4) Chandrayaan-II — Incorrect. India’s second mission to the Moon (2019), with an orbiter, lander and rover.