Rocket carrying IRNSS-ID is the 4th satellite of Regional Navigation Satellite System
Isro's Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV), in its twenty ninth flight (PSLV-C27), successfully blasted off successfully from the Sriharikotta rocket port, Andhra Pradesh. The rocket is carrying IRNSS-1D, the fourth satellite of the Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System (IRNSS).
The rocket took off from the second launch pad of Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC) SHAR, Sriharikota, near Chennai as planned at 17.19 hours today. The launch was earlier scheduled for March 9, 2015, but was postponed to March 28, due to technical reasons.
Like in the previous three launches of IRNSS satellites, PSLV-C27 used ‘XL’ version of PSLV. This is the eighth time ‘XL’ configuration is being flown, earlier seven being PSLV-C11/Chandrayaan-1, PSLV-C17/GSAT-12, PSLV-C19/RISAT-1, PSLV-C22/IRNSS-1A, PSLV-C25/Mars Orbiter Spacecraft, PSLV-C24/IRNSS-1B and PSLV-C26/IRNSS-1C missions.
The configuration of IRNSS-1D is similar to that of IRNSS-1A, 1B and 1C. The satellite has been realised in less than four months after the launch of its predecessor.
So far three regional navigational satellites were placed in the Orbit as part of a constellation of seven satellites to provide accurate position information service to users across the country and the region, extending up to an area of 1,500 km. The entire constellation is planned to be completed this year itself.
The first satellite IRNSS-1A was launched in July 2013, the second IRNSS-1B in April 2014 and the third on October 16, 2014.
The full system comprises nine satellites, including seven in orbit and two on the ground as stand-by - the navigation services could be made operational with four satellites.
Once the regional navigation system is in place, India need not be dependent on other platforms.
As reported earlier, each satellite costs around Rs 150 crore and the PSLV-XL version rocket costs around Rs 130 crore. The seven rockets would involve an outlay of around Rs 910 crore.
IRNSS-1D has been launched into a sub Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit (sub GTO) with a 284 km perigee (nearest point to Earth) and 20,650 km apogee (farthest point of Earth) with an inclination of 19.2 deg with respect to the equatorial plane.
After injection into this preliminary orbit, the two solar panels of IRNSS-1D are automatically deployed in quick succession and the Master Control Facility (MCF) at Hassan takes control of satellite and performs the initial orbit raising manoeuvers consisting of one manoeuvre at perigee and three at apogee. For these manoeuvres, the Liquid Apogee Motor (LAM) of the satellite is used, thereby finally placing it in the circular geostationary orbit at its designated location.
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