All India Radio – Launch of Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System

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AIR Debate – Launch of Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System 

ISRO recently launched the final satellite of IRNSS series and have successfully placed it in its orbit. IRNSS is an independent regional navigation satellite system being developed by India. It is designed to provide accurate position information service to users in India as well as the region extending up to 1500 km from its boundary

IRNSS will provide two types of services, namely, Standard Positioning Service (SPS) which is provided to all the users and Restricted Service (RS), which is an encrypted service provided only to the authorised users. The IRNSS System is expected to provide a position accuracy of better than 20 m in the primary service area.

The space segment consists of the IRNSS constellation of seven satellites. Three satellites will be located in suitable orbital slots in the geostationary orbit and the remaining four will be located in geosynchronous orbits with the required inclination and equatorial crossings in two different planes.

With the launch of the IRNSS the dependency of India over GPS of USA will come to an end. The navigation satellite which is regional in nature is poised to be well positioned and more accurate compared with GPS.

Some applications of IRNSS are:

• Terrestrial, Aerial and Marine Navigation
• Disaster Management
• Vehicle tracking and fleet management
• Integration with mobile phones
• Precise Timing
• Mapping and Geodetic data capture
• Terrestrial navigation aid for hikers and travellers
• Visual and voice navigation for drivers

India is moving towards achieving self reliance in the field of space technology. With India being the most powerful country in south Asia the role of such technologies has a long way in defending our country interests against external threats. While on the other side of the discourse it is delighted to see our Indian scientists achieve such great feat we should strive to bring in more and more young kids in to the realm of science and ensue future developments which has potential benefits for the nation.