Today will be marked as yet another achievement for Indian technology as it launches its first private sector built navigation satellite at 6:59 P.M., from Sriharikota.
This satellite will replace one of the seven satellites of the Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System (NAVIC,) which has been malfunctioning.
The satellite weighs 1,425 kgs and is an The Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System (IRNSS ) 1H satellite that will lift off using a Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV.)
The satellite was built by a group headed by a defense equipment supplier from Bengaluru, Alpa Design Technologies. The company took eight months to complete building the satellite. The process was supervised by 70 members from Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO.)
The Indian space agency has carried out 150 missions over the past three decades that started with Aryabhatta in 1975.
India is working towards becoming a key supplier for commercial satellites for this purpose it has involved the private sector.
The NAVIC is a system of seven home made navigation satellites to power the Swadeshi Global Positioning System. In January, all the three atomic clocks of one of the satellites went out of order leading to the urgent requirement to replace it.
