Astro Watch : The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has successfully conducted on Thursday, Sept. 8, its fifth mission of the year, by lofting its advanced weather satellite named INSAT-3DR. The spacecraft was launched atop a Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV), from the second launch pad at the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, India.ISRO’s Mission Readiness Review (MRR) committee and Launch Authorization Board (LAB) cleared the mission - designated GSLV-F05 - for the launch on Monday, Sept. 5, giving green light for the start of the final pre-launch preparations. The 29-hour countdown for the mission, commenced on Wednesday, Sept. 7, at 11:10 a.m. local time (1:40 a.m. EDT, 5:40 GMT), enabling the teams to perform lasts checks and fueling operations.Lifting off at exactly 4:40 p.m. local time (7:20 a.m. EDT, 11:20 GMT), the GSLV launch vehicle started its short vertical ascent, before it turned east, towards the Indian Ocean. The rocket’s first stage consisting of the core stage powered by one S139 engine and four liquid strap-on boosters fitted with one L40H Vikas 2 engine each, lofted the vehicle to an altitude of about 45 miles (72 kilometers).Two and a half minutes after liftoff, the GS2 Vikas 4 engine of the second ...