India's fifth navigation satellite successfully placed in orbit

Sriharikota (Andhra Pradesh): The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) on Wednesday successfully put its fifth satellite of India Regional Navigation Satellite System – IRNSS-1E -- into the orbit.

Exactly at 9.31 a.m., the 44.4-metre high Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV-31) rocket weighing 320 tonnes blasted off  into the morning sky with the country's fifth navigation satellite IRNSS-1E from its spaceport here.

It was the first rocket launch of the year for the Indian space agency.

Just over 19 minutes into the flight, the PSLV rocket detatched from IRNSS-1E.  And soon after the ejection into the orbit, the satellite's solar panels were deployed.

The satellite's control was taken over by the Mission Control Facility (MCF) at Hassan in Karnataka.

The MCF will manage the satellite's orbit and fire the on-board motors till it is placed in its slotted orbit. 

Wednesday's successful launch has now moved India closer to joining a select group of nations possessing their own satellite navigation systems.

The navigation system will also be used for disaster management, vehicle tracking and fleet management, integration with mobile phones, mapping and geodetic data capture, visual and voice navigation for drivers and others.

Till date India has launched four regional navigational satellites (IRNSS-1A, 1B, 1C and ID) as part of a constellation of seven satellites to provide accurate position information service to users across the country and the region, extending up to an area of 1,500 km.

Meanwhile, President Pranab Mukherjee and Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated the scientists on the successful launch of the satellite into space.

"Heartiest congratulations to the ISRO team on the successful launch of navigation satellite IRNSS-1E," the president said in his message. 

"Congratulating the dynamism and determination of ISRO and our scientists on the successful launch of PSLV C31 and putting IRNSS-1E in orbit precisely," Modi tweeted. 

(With IANS inputs)