India Successfully Puts Into Orbit 4th Navigation Satellite IRNSS-1D

28 March, Sriharikota , AP

India Saturday successfully put into orbit its fourth navigation satellite. PSLV-C27 carrying India’s fourth navigational satellite IRNSS-1D lifts off from Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh exactly at 5.17 hrs this evening.

With this success, India moved closer towards joining a select group of nations possessing its own satellite navigation system.

IRNSS will provide the standard positioning service and restricted service to all users and also render assistance to its neighbors at times of dire need.

Named as the Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System, IRNSS, the system consists a constellation of seven satellites of which four has been put into orbit till now.

The satellite control centre at Hassan in Karnataka will take control of this mission from now on and the satellite would be raised to its designated slot which would take around eight days.
Following that characterisation of the navigation and ranging payloads would be done and later the satellite will be integrated with the ground stations.

PSLV-C27 standing around 44 metres tall and weighing around 320 ton tore into the evening skies with fierce orange flames at its tail from the second launch pad at the Sathish Dhawan Space Centre Sriharikota.

The expendable rocket carrying, the 1,425 kg IRNSS-1D soared into the skies at the precise time amidst whistles and cheers of those gathered at Sriharikota to witness the launch.

At the rocket mission control room Indian space scientists at ISRO were glued to their computer screens watching the rocket escaping the earth’s gravitational pull.

Each stage of separation took place as per the planned schedule.Soon after the ejection into the orbit the satellite’s solar panels were deployed.