Although 1I is the ninth to be launched in the NavIC navigation fleet, it counts as the eighth.
Navigation satellite IRNSS-1I was launched early morning on Thursday from Sriharikota.
Eighth in the series, the 1425- kg satellite completes the first phase of the Indian regional navigation constellation, K. Sivan, Chairman of Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), said after a precise flight that put in a precise, intended initial orbit.
The navigation satellites, dubbed India's own GPS, are meant for giving precise information of position, navigation and time of objects or people. They were built by a consortium of six Indian companies led by Alpha Design Technologies Ltd., Bengaluru.
They have a civilian and a restricted military/security application.
Built for a ten-year job in space, 1I is expected to be ready for work in about a month after routine orbit manoeuvres and tests.
Now orbiting in a temporary sub-geosynchronous elliptical path about 284 km x 20,650 km, it will be gradually pushed in the coming days into a geostationary circular orbit 36,000 km away from Earth, at an inclination of 29° over 55° East longitude, ISRO said.
It was put to orbit on the PSLV-C41 rocket from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in coastal Andhra Pradesh at 4.04 a.m.
Although 1I is the ninth to be launched in the NavIC navigation fleet, it counts as the eighth as the previous one, 1H, was lost in a faulty launch last August.
They were planned as backups but became necessary after the three imported rubidium atomic clocks on 1A failed while in orbit.
Both 1I and 1H extensively involved a consortium of six Indian industries in the assembly, integration and testing of satellites at Bengaluru — an exercise that ISRO will replicate in coming missions, Dr. Sivan said.
ISRO teams returned to launch activities from home ground in record 14 days after sending up a communication satellite GSAT-6A on March 29. However the two missions used different launch pads.
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