IRNSS operations to take more time
Officials from ISRO stated that the IRNSS Indian navigation system has yet to be formally declared operational after checking and cross-checking. They also said government mandating the use of the Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System (IRNSS), will act as a booster for the domestic manufacturing of satellite signal receivers. However, officials did not give a tentative date on when the system would be operational.
The Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System, is an indigenously developed navigation system that provides accurate real-time positioning and timing services over India and extending to 1500 km around India. It consists of 7 satellites, of which three will be in Geostationary Orbit while four will be Geosynchronous Orbit. The system provides a position accuracy of better than 10 meters throughout the Indian landmass.
The total cost of the project is expected to be Rs.1420 cr, of which Rs.300 cr would be the cost of the ground segment, Rs.150 cr per satellite and Rs.130 cr per PSLV rocket used.
There are two global satellite navigation systems operational in the world, the US owned Global Positioning System (GPS) and the Russian owned Global Navigation Satellite System (GLONASS). During the Kargil War, the Indian military sought GPS data for the region to better understand Pakistani positions. This was denied by the US, severely complicating the situation and leading India to resort to other measures.
India`s first navigation satellite, the IRNSS 1A was successfully placed in orbit by an Indian rocket on July 2. The 1425 kg satellite was launched using ISRO's Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle C22 (PSLV C22) from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre ar Sriharikota. IRNSS 1A was to be the first satellite in the IRNSS constellation. This was ISRO's first midnight launch sequence ever conducted.
India launched its second navigational satellite, the IRNSS-1B onboard the PSLV C-24 launch system from Sriharikota. The launch brought India closer to its goal of creating an indigenous, regional, satellite based navigation system. ISRO Chief K Radhakrishnan lauded the efforts of scientists on the accuracy of the mission and stated, "As far as the inclination of the orbit, we are on the dot."
The third navigation satellite of the IRNSS constellation, the 1C, was successfully placed in orbit by the PSLV C26 from Sriharikota. The launch, originally scheduled for October 10 was called of due to technical reasons that day. Weighing at 1430 kg and equipped with navigational control systems and ranging devices, the IRNSSS 1C has a lifespan of 10 years.
India made history by launching the IRNSS 1D, the fourth satellite in the IRNSS navigation system constellation. The launching of the fourth satellite would enable ISRO to operationalize the IRNSS system, as a minimum of four satellites are required for computer systems to be able to receive positioning data. The testing of IRNSS would be conducted at the Mission Control Facility, in Hassan, Karnataka.
ISRO launched the IRNSS 1E, the fifth satellite that will join the Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System from Sriharikota at 09:31 IST. ISRO's proven workhorse PSLV-C31 is being used to put the 1425 kg satellite in orbit. The IRNSS 1E will join four of its peers that are already operational in space and is equipped with its navigation payload and ranging system.
ISRO's sixth navigation satellite, IRNSS-1F was successfully launched on board the PSLV with a one minute delay, owing to detection of space debris in the satellites flight path. This is the second last satellite to be launched as a part of the seven staellite regional navigation system. ISRO stated that it would launch the last satellite, IRNSS 1G at the end of March, 2016.
ISRO successfully launched the IRNSS 1G, India's seventh and last navigation satellite that will be part of the country's very own navigation system. The 1,425-kg satellite, IRNSS-1G, was launched at 12.50 p.m. IST from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre. The successful launch indicates that India's regional navigation satellite system is now complete, and India's version of GPS can now be activated.
