ISRO’s Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle injects IRNSS-1C into orbit; the navigation satellite, third in the family, joins its constellation of seven that will cover country’s borders stretching about 1,500 km; it aims at reducing country’s reliance on foreign systems
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SRIHARIKOTA: The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) brought Diwali a week early to Sriharikota, with the PSLV-C26 lighting up the night sky to make a visual spectacle of another precise launch. The PSLV-C26 injected the IRNSS-1C navigational satellite into its intended orbit 20 minutes and 19 seconds after it blasted off the First Launch Pad at Sriharikota.
The IRNSS-1C is the third navigational satellite launched by ISRO, and has put the space agency a mere swipe away from operationalising India’s own home-built navigational satellite system. ISRO would be able to provide navigational services through the Indian Regional Navigational Satellite System (IRNSS) once the fourth satellite of the family, IRNSS-1D, is placed in space in December.
The IRNSS is intended as a constellation of seven navigational satellites (nav-sats) aimed at reducing India’s reliance on foreign systems such as GPS and GLONASS for its navigational needs. The need for the system was felt after a failed test launch of a prominent missile in 2009, on account of the international nav-sat systems going down at the time of the launch. The IRNSS also has implications in the defence, disaster management and marine and land navigation and ranging spheres. The IRNSS constellation would cover a region stretching around 1,500 km around India’s borders.
Director of ISRO Satellite Centre S K Shivakumar said it would be up to private players to translate the IRNSS constellation to real world services open to public on the ground. Minister of State for the PMO Jitendra Singh, ISRO Chairman K Radhakrishnan and other top officials of the space agency were among those who witnessed the launch from the Command Centre.
EYE IN THE SKy
on target
PSLV-C26 lifted off from First Launch Pad at Sriharikota at 1:32 am and injected IRNSS-1C into orbit after 20 minutes and 19 seconds
IRNSS-1C was injected into sub-Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit (sub-GTO) with perigee (nearest point of orbit to Earth) of 282.5 km against targeted 284 km ± 5 km, and an apogee (farthest point of orbit from Earth) of 20,670 km against targeted 20,650 km ± 650 km
ISRO to perform one Orbit Raising Manoeuvre (ORM) at apogee and three at perigee to bring IRNSS-1C into its final Geostationary orbit at 83 degrees North latitude
ISRO WORKHORSE
PSLV-C26 was the 27th flight of ISRO’s workhorse PSLV launch platform
It was the 7th flight of the PSLV-XL, the most powerful variant of the PSLV
Previous Missions of PSLV-XL
PSLV-C11 (Chandrayaan)
PSLV-C17 (GSAT-12)
PSLV-C19 (RISAT-1)
PSLV-C22 (IRNSS-1A)
SLV-C25 (Mars Orbiter Mission)
PSLV-C24 (IRNSS-1B)
NAVIGATION BOOST
IRNSS-1C is the third among seven of homemade Indian Regional Navigational Satellite System (IRNSS)
The latest one is identical to IRNSS-1A and IRNSS-1B, which have been launched earlier
IRNSS-1C had lift-off mass of 1,425.4 kg and a dry mass of 600 kg
Payloads aboard include navigational payload, ranging payload, high-accuracy Rubidium atomic clock and a Corner Cube Retro Reflector for laser ranging
THE NETWORK
IRNSS envisioned as a constellation of seven satellites, all built by ISRO
AIMED at reducing dependence on American GPS and Russian GLONASS systems
IRNSS-1D expected to be launched in December, with IRNSS-1E, IRNSS-1F and IRNSS-1G to follow
NAVIGATIONAL services will be able to start once fourth satellite of the system is up and running
CONSTELLATION envisioned after the failure of high-profile missile test in 2009, thanks to non-availability of GPS
WHAT NEXT?
Experimental flight of GSLV-Mk III to be conducted in December. This will be ISRO’s first sub-orbital test flight
Apart from GSLV-Mk III launch vehicle itself, the experimental flight will also test a human spaceflight module
The human spaceflight module will be brought down into the Bay of Bengal, from where it will be retrieved
GSLV-Mk III is India’s attempt to increase its load capacity for launches. It is envisioned to launch up to four tonnes
Experimental flight will feature a dummy cryogenic engine of GSLV-Mk III; simulations will be carried out