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India to launch maiden navigation satellite
July 1, 2013, 9:40 am

[Getty Images]

The IRNSS will provide the country with independent navigation satellite capability [Getty Images]

India is set to launch a navigation satellite into space at midnight, marking the first stage of its domestic satellite navigation network.

The first of seven satellites in the Indian Regional Navigation Satelllite System (IRNSS) has a mission life of 10 years.

The IRNSS will provide the country with independent navigation satellite capability.

IRNSS-1A will give accurate real-time position and timing information to users in the country as well as the region extending up to 1,500 km around it, ISRO said.

Carrying two types of payloads the IRNSS-1A will be injected into space about 20 minutes after lift-off.

ISRO sources say uses of the domestic satellite navigation network will include terrestrial aerial and marine navigation, disaster management, vehicle tracking and fleet management, navigation aide for hikers and travellers, and visual and voice navigation for drivers.

India is also planning a mission to Mars later this year, aiming to collect data on Martian methane sources.

The ISRO’s budget has increased to $1.3 billion in 2012 to 2013.

With inputs from Agencies