India on Friday made a big leap in the field of weather forecasting and disaster forewarning services, thanks to the successful launch of the country's advanced meteorological satellite INSAT-3D.

INSAT-3D was launched by European space consortium Arianespace's Ariane 5 rocket from the Spaceport's ELA-3 launch zone of Kourou in French Guiana. The launch vehicle lifted off exactly at scheduled time of 1.23 A. M. IST on Friday.

The rocket started with its vertical ascent, and then turned towards the East. The rocket's two solid propellant boosters separated at an altitude of around 67 kilometers. Clear weather conditions provided an excellent view of the first phase of the rocket's trajectory.

Apart from INSAT-3D, the European rocket also launched Alphasat satellite, which was positioned first in the flight sequence, around 28 minutes after the lift off.

Nearly five minutes later, the launch vehicle completed the mission with the successful launch of satellite INSAT-3D.

K Radhakrishnan, chairman of Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), said, "We are looking forward to an excellent operational performance of INSAT-3D for the next seven years making a difference for the weather forecasting and disaster warning systems for the country."

Radhakrishnan also confirmed that Hassan, India-based Master Control Facility has started receiving signals from INSAT-3D.