Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is all set to launch its navigation satellite IRNSS-1H this evening. The satellite will lift off at 7 PM from the second launch pad of the Satish Dhavan Space Centre at Sriharikotta, on board the rocket PSLV C39. The 29-hour countdown for the mission that began at 2 PM yesterday is progressing smoothly.
The satellite IRNSS-1H is a part of the indigenous navigation system called ‘NavIC,’ that was initially planned to have a constellation of seven satellites.
As the rubidium atomic clocks of the first satellite in the series called IRNSS-1A malfunctioned, the eighth one is being launched today to take up its mantle.
NavIC system is equivalent to the GPS service, having footprint over the whole of India and about 1500 kilometers from its borders on all sides. It helps user agencies to plan and monitor their vehicular movement on the road and on the sea.
It can alert fishermen while approaching international maritime boundaries and help public to locate precisely the addresses they require. ISRO says, telecom and power grid operations can also benefit immensely from the data of the NavIC system.
Accurate survey of territories will be another area where it will provide valuable contributions.