ISRO begins development of IRNSS programme

Bangalore, Jul 4 (UNI) Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has began work on an ambitions Rs.1600 crore independent and integrated navigational system for the country approved by the union cabinet recently ISRO Chairman G Madhavan Nair said today.

The Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System (IRNSS) was aimed at providing indigenous navigation system exclusively for the country's needs he said at a 'ISRO-Industry Meet on Satellite Navigation' held at the ISRO Satellite centre here, He said IRNSS would be fully indegenous satellite system based on a constellation of eight satellites and the first satellite would be launched in three to four years time. The project would be completed in six years.

The entire IRNSS system, including the space, ground segments and user receivers would be built in India. The satellites would be visible on doppler radars and continuous availability of signals would be ensured, he said.

Mr Nair said that many countries in the world depended on Global Positioning System (GPS) of the United States for running satellite navgation systems. GPS had a great potential and many day to day needs depended on it.

He said IRNSS would meet the country need for the data and signal availability for 100 per cent of time. '' Satellite based Position, Navigation and Timing (PNT) is emerging as an important space application area many areas such as civil aviation, mobile telephones, surface transport, intelligent highway system, maritime transport, rail, oil and gas, precision agriculture, fisheries and many other fields'', he added.

The ISRO Chairman said GAGAN, the navigation system over Indian air-space for civil aviation joinly taken up with Airports Authority of India (AAI) had been progressing well. This project was being developed to provide accurate signal based on GPS. Navigation software and communication links had been installed and a preliminary system had been just concluded.

MORE UNI RS VK MSJ HT1525