ISRO’s 7th to give ‘Made in India’ GPS

It was yet another day of celebration for ISRO scientists with the successful launch of seventh and final satellite (IRNSS-1G) in the Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System (IRNSS) at 12.50 pm on Thursday.

The ISRO’s workhorse Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV-C33), which lifted off from the first launch pad of Satish Dhawan Space Centre, here placed IRNSS-1G in its intended orbit. With this India has successfully completed the seven satellite constellation thereby developing its own GPS, which would be similar to GPS (global positioning system) of the US, Glonass of Russia, and Galileo of Europe and China’s BeiDou. 

ISRO scientists led by its chairman AS Kiran Kumar and directors of various ISRO centres including K. Sivan, Director of Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre, Trivandrum, Dr M Annadurai, Director, ISRO Satellite Centre (ISAC), Bengaluru and P Kunhikrishnan, Director of Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikota monitored the launch of the satellite from the master control facility at Sriharikota. 

After the successful launch and placing of the 1,425 kg IRNSS-1G satellite in its orbit ISRO scientists celebrated the success. ISRO has designed IRNSS to provide accurate position information service to users in India as well as the region extending up to 1,500 km from its boundary. The IRNSS service can be used for terrestrial, aerial and marine navigation, vehicle tracking and fleet management, disaster management. Apart from sectors the Indian defence forces too can utilise the service of IRNSS. 

It can also provide navigational aide for hikers and travellers, visual and voice navigation for drivers. ISRO officials said the total cost of all the seven satellites was Rs 1,420 crore.