ISRO successfully carries out final orbit raising operation of IRNSS-1I

Sriharikota, April 16: The Indian Space Research Organization successfully carried out its fourth and final orbit raising operation of IRNSS-1I navigation satellite on Sunday. The IRNSS-1I is the eighth satellite in the constellation, with seven others already in space, which is part of the navigation with Indian Constellation (NavIC) system — originally called Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System or IRNSS. This system will provide Indian land-based users indigenous positioning and navigation services. 

With the completion of the series of four orbit-raising operations, the satellite is now close to its space home at 55 degree East longitude in the planned geosynchronous orbit, with an inclination of 29 degrees to the equator, at an altitude of about 36,000 Km. A geosynchronous orbit is when the satellite is in an almost stationary position with relation to a point on earth.

 

The third orbit-raising operation of IRNSS-1I was carried out on Saturday night to achieve a perigee (closest distance to earth) height of 31,426 Km and apogee (farthest distance from earth) height of 35,739 Km, while the second orbit-raising manoeuvre of IRNSS-1I was carried out on Friday night. The Indian Space Research Organisation’s (ISRO) master control facility (MCF) at Hassan performed the first orbit raising operation on Friday morning.

The 1,425 Kg IRNSS-1I was launched at 4.04 am on April 12 on board PSLV-C41 from ISRO’s first launch pad at Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikota. It was the 43rd flight of ISRO’s workhorse launcher Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle. The IRNSS- 1I now joins seven other satellites of the IRNSS constellation — IRNSS-1A, 1B, 1C, 1D, 1E, 1F and 1G — which is already in place over India.

According to a top ISRO official, the completion of IRNSS-1I’s orbit- raising manoeuvres has come as a relief to the space scientists of the country’s premier space agency, especially after it lost the communication link with its most sophisticated communication satellite, GSAT-6A, on March 31 morning after the satellite was launched on March 29.