(29th March 2015 – Indian Express) IRNSS- 1D Launched

IRNSS-1D Launched from Sriharikota

Important points : 

• Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System
• 4th satellite in the planned seven satellite Indian Navigational System.
• Fully operational By mid – 2016
• Critical application for Indian Armed Forces.
• GPS – like regional satellite based navigation system
• Global positioning System (GPS) – US | GLONASS – Russia | Galileo – EU | Beidou Navigation satellite system – China, Have global coverage
• IRNSS will focus on the region upto 1500 km , beyond India’s boundaries between longitude 40` E & 140` E and latitude +/-40`
• Cost : Approx 1420 crore.

How many Satellites ?

• Constellation of 7 satellites.
• Three in geostationary orbit.
• Four in geosynchronous orbit – will apppear to move in the figure of ‘8’ when observe fromground.

Ground Infrastructure of IRNSS

• 20 stations for generation & transmission of navigation parameters, satellite control, satellite ranging & monitoring, mostly at airports, along with Indian GPS Aided Geo Augmented Navigation (GAGAN) ground elements.
• 2 Master Control Stations.

When will IRNSS become operational ?

• Fully operational by Mid- 2016

How accurate will the coverage be ?

• Positional accuracy similar to GPS- 10 m over the Indian Landmass, 20m over the Indian Ocean.
• Will provide a more accurate restricted service for the Indian armed forces & other special authorized users.

Application of IRNSS ?

• Terrestrial
• Aerial
• Marine Navigation
• Disaster Management
• Vehicle Tracking
• Fleet management
• Integration with mobile phone
• Precise timing
• mapping
• Geodetic data capture
• Terrestrial navigation for hikers
• Visual & voice navigation for drivers

Crucial Use : 

• For Indian Armed forces
• Useful for most modern weapon system like guided missile and bombs.

Why so Critical for military ?

• Strategic requirement for modern war fighting
• Access to foreign govt. controlled navigation satellite system is not guaranteed during hostilities.
• Complete collapse of navigation services if foreign system is switched off.

Does Pakistan have  IRNSS like system ? NO

Article Ref : Explained: Guardian in the sky – http://indianexpress.com/article/india/india-others/explained-hawk-eye-in-the-sky/

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