india

Updated: Mar 23, 2015 19:01 IST

After a highly successful 2014, the Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro) is now gearing up for its first launch of 2015 —IRNSS-1D — onboard the PSLV-C27 on March 28.

This will help India inch closer to having its own Global Positioning System(GPS) like that of the US.

Official sources said the space agency had decided to launch the satellite from Sriharikota on March 28 at 5.19 pm. The launch was earlier slated for March 9 but had to postpone it because of some problem in telemetry transmitters.

“The rocket was moved to the launch pad on Monday morning. Everything is going on smoothly,” M.Y.S. Prasad, director, Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC), Sriharikota told HT.

IRNSS-1D will be the fourth out of seven satellites in the Indian Regional Navigational Satellite System (IRNSS) series after IRNSS-1A, IRNSS-1B and IRNSS-IC. The satellite is one among the seven IRNSS constellation of satellites slated to be launched to provide navigational services to the region. It will be placed in the geosynchronous orbit.

The fifth of the IRNSS series can be launched in August this year. Once five of them are in the constellation, India can have its own GPS like that of the US. The system would provide two types of services — Standard Positioning Service, which is provided to all users and Restricted Service, which is an encrypted service provided only to authorised users.

The satellite will provide navigation, tracking and mapping services.