Isro rocket carrying India's final 'GPS satellite' lifts off from Sriharikota

Sriharikota: An Indian Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) rocket lifted off successfully on Thursday afternoon with the country’s seventh and final navigation satellite, IRNSS-1G, from the rocket port.

The PSLV-XL standing 44.4 metre tall and weighing 320 tonnes, tore into the afternoon skies at 12.50 pm breaking free of the earth’s gravitational pull.

Named the Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System (IRNSS), it consists of a constellation of seven satellites of which six - IRNSS-1A, IRNSS-1B, IRNSS-1C, IRNSS-1D, IRNSS-1E and IRNSS-1F- have already been put into orbit.

The PSLV-C33, carrying IRNSS-1G, in its 35th flight, would be the XL variant that was used during launch of Mars Orbiter Mission, Chandrayaan-1, ASTROSAT besides the six IRNSS satellites.

The seventh satellite in the series - IRNSS-1G - weighing 1,425 kg is expected to soon join the other six.

With the operationalisation of six satellites, India has demonstrated the system’s targeted position accuracy which is much better than 20 metres over 24 hours of the day.

With the launch and operationalisation of IRNSS-1G, the seventh in the constellation, the completion of IRNSS constellation will be achieved, ISRO said.

Just over 20 minutes into the flight, the rocket would put IRNSS-1G into orbit at an altitude 497.8 km. The satellite’s life span is 12 years.

According to ISRO officials total cost of all the seven satellites was Rs 1,420 crore.

With inputs from agencies