ISRO to launch IRNSS navigation satellite by end of March

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) anounced the launch of its fourth regional navigation satellite at the end of March, after deferring the planned launch on 9 March.

The Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System (IRNSS-1D) was supposed to be launched on March 9 by the Indian rocket Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV-XL), however the launch had to be postponed due to one of the telemetry transmitters not working properly. 

M.Y.S. Prasad, director of the Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC), stated: “We are planning to launch the satellite by the end of this month. The replacement transmitter is getting ready and will be brought from our centre in Bangalore.”

The fourth regional navigation satellite will be part of a constellation of seven satellites to provide accurate position information service to users across the country and the region, extending up to an area of 1,500 km. The entire IRNSS constellation of seven satellites is planned to be completed by 2015.