14 DAY TRIAL // Officials from the Indian space agency (ISRO) have announced recently that the country is expected to have its satellite navigation and positioning system up and running by 2015. Unlike other similar systems, the Indian Regional Navigational Satellite System (IRNSS) will not feature global coverage.
The satellites behind this new capability will only cover an area extending between 1,500 to 2,000 kilometers (930 to 1,240 miles) around the Indian landmass. The system will have an accuracy of 10 meters (34 feet) over land, and 20 meters (67 feet) over the neighboring Indian Ocean. The entire project is currently valued at 16 billion rupees ($270 million/€196 million).
A total of 21 ranging stations are already spread throughout the Indian subcontinent, ready to pick up the signals from the 7 satellites that will underlie IRNSS. These spacecraft are designated IRNSS-1A through IRNSS1-G. The former was launched on July 1, 2013, aboard a PSLV-C22 rocket. The last satellite in the constellation is currently scheduled for launch in March 2015, GPS Daily reports.
Recently, the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) announced that its second navigation satellite, designated IRNSS1-B, would launch on Friday, April 4, aboard a PSLV-C24 (Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle) rocket. Takeoff will occur from the Satish Dhawan Space Center in Sriharikota, the Andhra Pradesh province, some 83 kilometers (52 miles) north of Chennai.