A Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV-C26) carrying the all-important 1,425-kg Indian Regional Navigational Satellite System (IRNSS-1C) was launched from Sriharikota in the wee hours of October 16.
The launch was originally scheduled on October 10, but the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) postponed it by a week due to "a snag" in the telecommand system.
The IRNSS-1C is a part of a constellation of seven satellites, which will help in terrestrial, aerial and sea navigation. Civilian aircraft can use them for cruising and landing. In defense, they will aid missiles to reach their targets accurately or in pointing them to circumvent hills. The atomic clocks on the satellites will help missiles in executing their manoeuvrings at the appointed time.
The mission is aimed at taking India one step closer to establishing a regional navigation system akin to the United States' Global Positioning System (GPS). IRNSS has been designed to provide accurate position information service to users across the country. It will be the 28th flight of PSLV and the seventh time that its XL configuration will be flown. Previous missions in which it was used include Chandrayaan1, the lunar mission, and Mangalyaan and the Mars Orbiter Mission.
There are four stages of the PSLV-C26, the vehicle’s fourth stage has been filled with liquid propellants. The PSLV-C26 is a four-stage vehicle; in the first and the third stages the vehicle is filled using solid propellants and in the second and fourth, liquid fuel.