What happened?
India Friday moved a step closer to setting up its own satellite navigation system when in a copy-book style it successfully placed into orbit a satellite using its own rocket, a PSLV.
The Indian rocket carrying the satellite blasted off from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh.
The Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle-C24 (PSLV-C24) stands 44.4 metres tall and weighs about 320 tonnes.
What was in the rocket?
The expendable rocket riding atop fierce orange flames tore into the evening sky with its luggage, the 1,432 kg IRNSS—1B (Indian Regional Navigational Satellite System-1B) satellite, in a perfect launch.
What happens after the launch?
About 20 minutes into the flight, the PSLV-C24 spat out IRNSS-1B at an altitude of around 500 km above the earth.
Soon after the satellite was put into the orbit, its solar panels were deployed.
The satellite control was taken over by the Mission Control Facility (MCF) at Hassan in Karnataka.
The MCF will manage the satellite’s orbit infrastructure for controlling, tracking and other facilities.
Why is this important?
“The PSLV in its 25th successive successful flight precisely injected India’s second regional navigaton satellite...This proves again that India’s PSLV has a place of pride,” ISRO chairman K.Radhakrishnan said post launch.
“By 2014 we will launch two more navigational satellites — IRNSS-1C and IRNSS-1D. Three more navigational satellites will be launched early 2015.
By middle of 2015, India will have all the navigational satellite system.”
