Chennai, March 27 (IANS) Indian space agency officials are carrying out full system tests Thursday on its rocket and the second navigational satellite set to be launched April 4 at Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh, said the space agency.
The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) will be launching its second navigational satellite, badged Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System-1B (IRNSS-1B), using its rocket, Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV).
Sriharikota is located around 80 km from Chennai.
Confirming the development, Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC) SHAR director M.Y.S. Prasad told IANS: "The rocket and the satellite are now fully integrated. The full vehicle tests are being carried out."
Prasad said the launch rehearsal would be held March 29, and its countdown will begin April 2.
The countdown for the rocket launch will be around 53 hours.
According to Prasad, the PSLV rocket carrying the 1,432-kg IRNSS-1B satellite is slated to blast off at 5.14 p.m. April 4.
All the systems are fine, Prasad said.
The satellite with a design life span of 10 years will be part of the seven-satellite Indian regional navigational system.
India launched its first navigational satellite IRNSS-1A in July 2013.
The navigational system, developed by India, is designed to provide accurate position information service to users within the country and up to 1,500 km from the nation's boundary line.
The system is similar to the global positioning system of the US, Glonass of Russia, Galileo of Europe, China's Beidou or the Japanese Quasi Zenith Satellite System.
The system will be used for terrestrial, aerial and marine navigation, disaster management, vehicle tracking and fleet management, integration with mobile phones, mapping and geodetic data capture and others.
While the ISRO is silent on the navigation system's strategic application, it is clear that the IRNSS will be used for defence purposes as well.
According to the ISRO, the IRNSS-IB has been realised within seven months of the launch of the IRNSS-1A.
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