New Delhi: The launch of IRNSS IC, the third of seven satellites in the series to put in place India's navigation system at par with US' Global Positioning System, has been scheduled in the wee hours of October 16 from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre SHAR, Sriharikota. The launch window of the mission opens at 1.32 AM and last till 1.47 AM on October 16. The lift-off is scheduled at the opening of the launch window at 1.32 AM. The final phase of checks is in progress to carry the 1,425 kg satellite.
“The Mission Readiness Review (MRR) Committee and the Launch Authorisation Board (LAB) met on October 7 to review the progress of prelaunch activities and cleared the launch for October 16,” a statement by the ISRO said.
IRNSS 1C with a lift-off mass of 1,425.4 kg was earlier scheduled to take off on board the 28th flight of India's rocket PSLV-C26 at 1.56 AM on October 10 to be shot into a sub Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit (sub GTO), but it was postponed due to a technical snag.
As part of its aspirations to build a regional navigational system equivalent to Global Positioning System of the US, ISRO plans to send seven satellites to put in place the Indian Regional Navigational Satellite System (IRNSS).
The first two satellites in the series, IRNSS 1A and IRNSS 1B were launched from Sriharikota on July 1, 2013 and April 4 this year respectively.
IRNSS' applications include terrestrial and marine navigation, disaster management, vehicle tracking and fleet management.
