Isro to launch India's 4th navigation satellite on March 28

ISRO today said that the Indian rocket, Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV-XL), will take off with the fourth satellite of the Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System (IRNSS) at 5.19 pm on March 28.

The 1,425 kg satellite called IRNSS-1D and will be the first satellite to be put into orbit by an Indian rocket in 2015.

The rocket has been moved to the launch pad at Sriharikota spacestation in Andhra Pradesh around 80 km from Chennai.

Originally ISRO had planned to launch the 1,425 kg Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System (IRNSS-1D) satellite on March 9 but deferred the launch after it found that one of the telemetry transmitters in the IRNSS-1D was not working properly.

India has launched three regional navigational satellites 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.

Though the full system comprises nine satellites -- seven in orbit and two on the ground as standby -- the navigation services could be made operational with four satellites, ISRO officials had said.

Each satellite costs around Rs 150 crore and the PSLV-XL version rocket costs around Rs.130 crore. The seven rockets would involve an outlay of around Rs 910 crore, reports said.

The entire IRNSS constellation of seven satellites is planned to be completed this year itself.The first satellite IRNSS-1A was launched in July 2013, the second IRNSS-1B in April 2014 and the third on October 16, 2014.Once the regional navigation system is in place, India need not be dependent on other platforms.