India all set to launch 5th regional navigation satellite on Jan 20: ISRO

In a strategically significant move, India is all set to launch its fifth regional navigation satellite on January 20. M Annadurai, the director of ISRO Satellite Centre (ISAC) in Bengaluru, said the satellite, once launched, will help in disaster management, vehicle-tracking and fleet management, mapping and geodetic data capture, visual and voice navigation for drivers and others.

“We are loading fuel in the rocket for the launch of the fifth regional navigation satellite system (IRNSS-1E) on January 20 from our spaceport,” Annadurai told Millennium Post at the 103rd Indian Science Congress. He further added that the satellite would help in tracking movements at the bordering areas of the county too.

Explaining the future plans of ISRO, he said, “The ISRO Satellite Centre will put the sixth (IRNSS-1F) and seventh satellites (IRNSS-1G) in the earth’s lower orbit in mid-February and by March 31 respectively. The first four satellites were placed in observational orbit between July 2013 and March 2015,” adding that the system’s first four satellites are already in use.

The 44-metre polar satellite launch vehicle, a workhorse weighing about 320 tonnes at lift-off, will be used to carry the 1.4-tonne fifth spacecraft into orbit. The Indian navigation satellite system will be similar to the global positioning system of the US, Glonass of Russia, Galileo of Europe, Beidou of China and Quasi Zenith satellite system of Japan.

 “The system will provide two types of services – standard positioning services to all users and restricted services to authorised users. The space agency has set up ground stations for generation and transmission of navigation parameters, satellite control as well as ranging and monitoring across the country,” Annadurai added.