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India’s first navigation satellite put into orbit
Shubhadeep Choudhury/TNS

The rocket took off at 11.41 pm and put the satellite into orbit 20 minutes later.

7 satellites IRNSS-1A is the first satellite of the seven-satellite Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System (IRNSS) The satellite was put in geosynchronous orbit. Three more satellites will be put into geosynchronous orbit. The 3 remaining ones are also scheduled for launch The next in the series, IRNSS-1B, is due early next year. The seven satellites will be in place by 2015

Bangalore, July 1
India’s first dedicated navigational satellite IRNSS-1A was today successfully launched by a polar satellite launch vehicle (PSLV-C22) from the first launch pad of the Satish Dhawan Space Centre at Sriharikota near Chennai.

The 44m-tall rocket — with the satellite with a lift-off mass of 1,425 kg — took off at 11.41 pm and put the satellite into the intended orbit precisely 20 minutes later.

ISRO chairman K Radhakrishnan said that the launch, the 23rd successive successful flight of the PSLV, “marks India’s entry into a new era of space application”. PJ Kurien, Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman, who was present at the Space Centre at the time of the launch, said the satellite would meet India’s defence and security requirements.

Mission director K Krishnan said the launch had met all the expected parameters. Professor Yash Pal, described by ISRO chairman Radhakrishnan as the father of space applications, was also present at the time of the launch and congratulated the ISRO team.

IRNSS-1A is the first satellite of the Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System or IRNSS. The system consists of seven satellites.

The satellite launched today was put into geosynchronous orbit. Three more satellites will be put in geosynchronous orbit while the three remaining satellites will be put into geostationary orbit. The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) Navigation Centre at Byalalu near Bangalore will be the main centre for the ground segment.

The next satellite of the series, IRNSS-1B, is due early 2014. The full constellation of seven satellites is supposed to be in orbit by 2015. Only then will the service of the IRNSS system take off. The system will have military applications besides helping civilian aircraft and ships and other modes of transportation.

IRNSS will provide two types of services — Standard Positioning Service or SPS (similar to the Global Positioning Service or the GPS) which will be available to all the users and Restricted Service (RS), an encrypted service that will be provided only to authorised users.

The system is designed to provide information regarding accurate position in India as well as the region extending up to 1,500 km from the country’s boundary — that is its primary service area.