ISRO successfully launches India’s second navigational satellite IRNSS-1B

The Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV-C24) rocket carrying the second Indian Regional Navigational Satellite (IRNSS-1B) lifted off perfectly at 5.14 pm today and placed the 1,432 kg payload on the designated orbit in about 20 minutes, in a perfect launch.

Countdown for the rocket launch began on 2 April and ISRO officials said everything has progressed as planned and that all equipment aboard the satellite are functioning normally.

The second among a series of seven satellites in India's independent navigational system, IRNSS-1B will provide accurate position information to users in India and 1,500-km surrounding the country.

The 44.4 metre tall rocket, weighing around 320 tonnes, lifted off perfectly from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre at Sriharikota and placed the satellite around 20 minutes after the lift-off.

With the launch of three more satellites in the series, India will have its own satellite navigation system, ISRO chairman K Radhakrishnan told reporters.

Two more navigation satellites will be launched during the second half of 2014, he added.

The configuration of IRNSS-1B is similar to that of IRNSS-1A and the satellite was configured in less than seven months, ISRO said.

IRNSS-1B has two ultra-triple junction solar cells capable of generating 1660 Watts of power. It also has special thermal control system designed and implemented for some crucial elements such as atomic clocks.

IRNSS' applications include terrestrial and marine navigation, disaster management, vehicle tracking and fleet management.

IRNSS 1B has a mission life of 10 years from the date of launch.

IRNSS is similar to the US Global Positioning System, Russian Glonass and Europe's Galileo. China and Japan too have similar systems named Beidou and Japanese Quasi Zenith Satellite System respectively, ISRO officials said.

Since India started its space journey in 1975 with the launch of Aryabhatta using a Russian rocket, it has completed over 100 space missions, including missions to the Moon and Mars.