With this launch, India has entered a new era in space applications, says ISRO chief

Indias first dedicated navigation satellite, the IRNSS-1A, developed by the Indian Space Research Organisation, was successfully put in orbit on onday night! "he launch vehicle, #S$%-&'', bearing the 1,(')-*g navigation satellite, blasted off the launch pad at the Satish +hawan Space &entre here at the scheduled lift-off ti,e of 11!(1 p!,! As the #S$%-&'' tore into the night s*ies and set off four stages of ignition and separation, all the while gaining in altitude and velocity, down on earth, twitchy ,ission controllers at the co,,and centre awaited the final confir,ation of the ,issions success! A round of applause greeted the successful *ic*-starting of the fourth stage of ignition, arguably the ,ost critical co,ponent of the ,ission to place the satellite in the targeted orbit!

About '- ,inutes after the lift-off, the #S$%-&'' co,pleted its tas* of in.ecting the IRNSS-1A into a sub geosynchronous transfer orbit with a '/(-*, perigee 0nearest point to the 1arth2 and '-,3)- *, apogee 0farthest point fro, the 1arth2! As the final act of the roc*et separating fro, the satellite unfurled on the giant screen at the ,ission control roo,, the gathering of scientists and engineers bro*e into cheers and applause! Once again, "ea, ISRO had pulled off with cloc*wor* precision the roughly 3)-hour countdown that began on 4une '5 and ended in the liftoff close to ,idnight on 4uly 1! ISRO &hair,an 6! Radha*rishnan, who congratulated the tea,, said that with the successful launch, India had entered a new era in space applications! #!4! 6urien, +eputy &hair,an, Ra.ya Sabha, said it was a great ,o,ent for the nation! 7ash #al, one of the doyens of Indias space progra,,e, was also present! "he IRNSS-1A is the first of the proposed seven satellites in the Indian Regional Navigation Satellite Syste,! Apart fro, India, its benefits would e8tend to a range of 1,)-- *, in the region! 9ith a ,ission life of 1- years, it will deliver applications ranging across terrestrial, aerial and ,arine navigation, disaster ,anage,ent, trac*ing of vehicles, guiding hi*ers and travellers, and visual-voice navigation for drivers! "he #S$%-:$ used for the launch does not directly transfer satellites into a geosynchronous orbit! Instead, it puts the satellite into an interi, sub

;eosynchronous "ransfer Orbit 0sub-;"O2, fro, where thrusters are used to push the satellite into geosynchronous orbit! Once it has been in.ected into the preli,inary orbit, solar panels of the satellite are auto,atically deployed and the aster &ontrol <acility at =assan, 6arnata*a, ta*es over the control of the satellite > fro, the initial orbit raising ,anoeuvres to the final place,ent in the circular geosynchronous orbit! So,e of the features of the IRNSS-1A are two solar panels with ultra triple .unction solar cells that can generate about 1,33- watts of electrical power, Sun and star sensors as well as gyroscopes to provide orientation! It also carries &orner &ube Retro Reflectors for laser i,aging and is endowed with a highly accurate Rubidiu, ato,ic cloc*!