IRNSS 1B launch rehearsal successful; countdown from tomorrow

CHENNAI: The launch rehearsal for India's second navigational satellite IRNSS 1B was completed successfully today at the spaceport of Sriharikota, setting the stage for commencement of over 58-hour countdown for its lift off onboard PSLV C24 on April 4.

"The launch rehearsal for IRNSS 1B was completed successfully today. The 58.5 hour countdown for the launch of the satellite on board PSLV C 24 would commence at 6.44 am tomorrow," Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) sources said.The launch of the satellite is scheduled at 5.14 pm on April 4 from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre at Sriharikota, about 100 km from here.

IRNSS 1B is the second of the seven satellites planned for Indian Regional Navigational Satellite System (IRNSS), whose applications include terrestrial and marine navigation, disaster management, vehicle tracking and fleet management.IRNSS, being developed by India is designed to provide accurate position information service to users in the country as well as the region extending up to 1,500 km from its boundary, which is its primary service area.

The system is expected to provide a position accuracy of better than 20 metre in the primary service area.IRNSS is similar to US' Global Positioning System (GPS), Russia's GLONASS and Europe's Galileo. China and Japan too have similar systems named Beidou and Japanese Quasi Zenith Satellite System respectively, ISRO officials said.