Sriharikota (Andhra Pradesh), March 28 (IANS) India successfully put into orbit its fourth navigation satellite with its own rocket on Saturday evening in copybook style.
Exactly at 5.19 p.m., the rocket - Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle - (PSLV-C27) standing about 44 metres tall and weighing around 320 tonnes, roared into the bright blue clear evening sky trailing an orange plume.
The expendable rocket had a single but important piece of luggage: the 1,425 kg IRNSS-1D.
The rocket blasted off from the second launch pad at the Satish Dhawan Space Centre here, around 80 km from Chennai.
For onlookers the rocket resembled an inverted flare/torch with a long handle as it gathered speed amidst the cheers of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) officials and the media team assembled at the rocket port here.
At the rocket mission control room, Indian space scientists at ISRO were glued to their computer screens watching the rocket escaping the earth's gravitational pull.
The PSLV-C27 ejected the IRNSS-1D around 20 minutes into the flight. Immediately, scientists at the mission control centre were visibly relieved and started clapping happily.
Soon after ejection into orbit, the satellite's solar panels were deployed.
The satellite's control was taken over by the Mission Control Facility (MCF) at Hassan in Karnataka.
The MCF will manage the satellite's orbit raising operations by firing the on-board motors till it is placed in the circular geosynchronous orbit.
The system is similar to the global positioning system (GPS) of the US (24 satellites), Glonass of Russia (24 satellites) and Galileo of Europe (27 satellites), China's Beidou (35 satellites).
While GPS and Glonass are fully functional global systems, the Chinese and the Japanese systems offer regional coverage and Europe's Galileo is yet to be operational.
The IRNSS will provide two types of services - standard positioning service and restricted service. The former is provided to all users and the later is an encrypted service for authorised users.
With this success, India moved closer towards joining a select group of nations with its own satellite navigation system.
Aparajita Bill: Anti-rape bill passed unanimously by Bengal Assembly, provision for death penalty or life imprisonment till last breath
The anti-rape bill was introduced in the Bengal Assembly today i.e. on Tuesday, which was passed unanimously. This bill provides for the death penalty to the person guilty of rape and the death of the
Bharat Jodo Yatra: Attempt to burn the tent of Bharat Jodo Yatra, four accused caught with the understanding of the worker
An attempt was made to set fire to a tent meant for Rahul Gandhi's Bharat Jodo Yatra. Some unknown people were preparing to set fire to the tent at Bamanwas in Sawaimadhopur late on Monday night,
'When hypocrites go...', Tanya Mittal's video goes viral, she had asked a shocking question to Premananda Ji Maharaj.
Ever since Tanya Mittal entered Bigg Boss 19, there has hardly been a day when there hasn't been a discussion about her. Tanya, who boasts about her luxurious house, bodyguard, and grandeur on
Covid-19: Epidemiologist's statement proved correct, active cases started decreasing; But still keep this thing in mind
Coronavirus infection cases have been a cause of concern in India for the last month. On Tuesday (17 June), there has been a slight improvement in the active cases in the country. On Monday, the total
Electronic machines were sent to the polling stations at 7 am tomorrow
Voting begins at 7 a.m. tomorrow in 1,374 wards in the metropolitan area, 3,843 wards in the municipal area, and 7,621 wards in the metropolitan area.
Big 'blockade' plan outside Delhi on completion of 100 days of Kisan agitation, KMP Express-Way will jam for 6 hours
The farmers' agitation on the borders of Delhi against the new agricultural laws is about to complete 100 days, but there is no way to end it. The farmers sitting on the Singhu border have announced
Kanwar Yatra: The news of the bomb in Kanwar special train stirred up, police caught a kanwariya, then the truth came out
The police, GRP, and security agencies were stirred by the information about the bomb in the Kanwar special train. The train had reached Haridwar carrying passengers from Delhi. Police and Bomb
Waqf JPC: The parliamentary committee not satisfied with the information of three states including Madhya Pradesh, asked for details again in 15 days
The Joint Parliamentary Committee reviewing the Waqf Amendment Bill recorded oral evidence from the state representatives. However, the committee is not satisfied with the answers given by Karnataka,
Terrorists hurl grenades at security personnel, trying to shake Kashmir before Republic Day
Grenade Attacks In Jammu Kashmir: A day before Republic Day i.e. on Tuesday, terrorists tried to shake Jammu and Kashmir. A grenade was thrown at the security personnel in the Hari Singh High Street
Today, the number of active patients can be exceeded 3.50 lakhs, 2 lakh patients undergoing treatment in the last one month increased
On Monday, 40,611 corona infects were identified in the country, 29,735 recovered and 197 died. A day before this, 47,009 cases were reported on Sunday. For the first time in the last week, new cases
