JOIN USIndian scientists on Wednesday successfully launched the indigenous navigation satellite IRNSS-1E from the second launch pad at Sriharikota Space Port near Chennai.
After the lift-off at 9.31 am at Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC) in the Bay of Bengal island 90 km north of Chennai, Isro’s most trusted rocket the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV-C31) placed the satellite in the required orbit.
After the injection, IRNSS-1E’s solar panels were automatically deployed. Isro’s master control facility at Hassan in Karnataka took over the satellite’s control.
“The PSLV rocket has successfully placed IRNSS-1E satellite into the orbit,” Isro chairman A S Kiran Kumar said.
The satellite, the fifth in the seven IRNSS constellation that would make up the navigation system, is designed to provide accurate position information service to users in India and the region within 1500 kilometres from the boundary.
Besides providing standard positioning services and restrictive services, IRNSS would ensure navigation parameter generation and transmission, satellite control, ranging and integrity apart from time keeping.
In the coming days, four orbit manoeuvres will be conducted from Master Control Facility to position the satellite in the Geosynchronous Orbit at 111.75 deg East longitude with 28.1 deg inclination.
Ground stations have been set up across 18 locations in the country to generate and transmit navigation parameters, satellite ranging and monitoring. The remaining two satellites in the constellation, IRNSS-1F and 1G, will be launched to put the entire navigation system in place.