Satellite launched early on Thursday

Sriharikota: The Indian Space Research Organisation’s workhorse, the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle, has done it again. Exactly at 1.32 am on Thursday, against the backdrop of a half moon, the PSLV-C26 took off from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, lighting up the night sky in crimson red, and exactly 20.25 minutes later, placed the Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System in its precise orbit.

This was PSLV’s 28th flight and the seventh successful flight of its extended version. The mission was declared a success to the cheer of hundreds of scientists at the mission control room of the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota.

ISRO chairman  Dr K. Radhakrishnan announced that the injection of the satellite into its orbit had been “very precise”.

 “Our PSLV has done it again,” he said congratulating the entire team of scientists gathered at the mission control room.

“A team of more than 1,000 members worked round the clock for more than four days to make this mission possible,” he said.

Mission director K.P. Kunhikrishnan said the satellite went into a very precise orbit.

Dr Radhakrishnan later announced that the most significant launch of the year for Isro, the GSLV-Mark III, will take place within the next 45 days.

GSLV Mark III has been conceived and designed to make Isro fully self-reliant in launching heavier communication satellites of INSAT-4 class, which weigh 4,500kg to 5,000 kg.

IRNSS-1C, the third of the seven navigation satellites in the IRNSS, has wideranging applications in terrestrial, aerial and marine navigation. From vehicle tracking to fleet management and from disaster management to mapping, the satellite extends various services to its clients.

The next satellite, IRNSS-1D in the Indian Navigational Satellite system, is likely to be launched before the end of the year or the first quarter of 2015.

The IRNSS-C1 carried two types of payloads, one for transmitting navigation service signals to the users and another consisting of a C-band transponder to facilitate Cube Retro Reflectors for laser ranging.
 
The first two satellites in the series, IRNSS-1A and IRNSS-1B were launched from Sriharikota on July 1, 2013 and April 4 this year, respectively.
 
The next satellite IRNSS-1D in the Indian Navigational Satellite system is also likely to be launched before the end of the year or first quarter of 2015.