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ISRO to launch backup navigation satellite

Receivers to provide weather forecast, cyclone alert.

Chennai: The Indian Space Research Organisation will make a second attempt on Thursday to replace the IRNSS-1A satellite which could complete the constellation of Indian navigation satellites.

The constellation is already having five functioning satellites. IRNSS-1A, the first satellite of the constellation was dysfunctional following the failure of its atomic clocks.

The PSLV-C41 rocket will carry the backup satellite IRNSS-1I from Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota. The rocket will be launched from a first launch pad at 4.04 am on Thursday.

The launch assumes significance after the space organisation encountered issues with two missions in the span of the last seven months.

In the previous launch, though the GSLV-F08 rocket launched the GSAT-6A satellite perfectly, the communication with the satellite was lost following the second orbit raising operation on April 1.

The officials are still trying to reestablish the contact with the satellite and trying to revive it. The space organisation's first attempt to replace IRNSS-1A satellite on August 31, 2017, was not successful as the replacement satellite IRNSS-1H was caught inside the heat shield.

Isro has successfully demonstrated the technology with receivers showing accurate locations. “Tamil Nadu fishermen from Kanyakumari district will soon receive 200 NavIC receivers. Apart from navigation services, the receivers can also provide weather forecast and cyclone alerts to fishermen,” Isro chairman Sivan said.

The 1,425 kg IRNSS- 1I satellite is also carrying two types of payloads - navigation payload and ranging payload. The navigation payload of IRNSS-1I transmits signals for the determination of position, velocity and time. This payload is operating in L5-band and S-band. Rubidium atomic clocks are part of the navigation payload of the satellite. The ranging payload of IRNSS-1I consists of a C-band transponder, which facilitates accurate determination of the range of the satellite.

( Source : Deccan Chronicle. )
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