IRNSS stands for Indian Regional Navigation Satellite
System; it comprises seven satellites, IRNSS-1G being the
seventh one.
According to ISRO officials total cost of all the seven
satellites was Rs 1,420 crore.
The Indian space agency had finalized the IRNSS program almost
17 years ago in 1999. The decision was taken after the US
government had declined to share GPS information that could have
helped the Indian Army precisely locate Pakistani troop
positions during the Kargil war.
India’s IRNSS system is very similar to the positioning system
of the US’ that is comprised of 24 satellites. Russia has its
own Glonass, which has 24 satellites. Europe and China have
Galileo with 24 satellites and Beidou with 35 satellites
respectively.
The main purpose of the IRNSS is to deliver indigenously
developed accurate GPS service to Indian users as well as for
the defense purposes.
According to ISRO, the IRNSS will serve two types of services –
SPS (Standard Positioning Service) and a RS (Restricted
Service). The SPS will be available for all users in the country
whereas the RS will be an encrypted services for authorized
users, which most probably will be used for defence purposes.
Key application of the IRNSS include: terrestrial, aerial and
marine navigation, vehicle tracking and fleet management,
precise time determination, mapping and geodetic data capture
and disaster management. The system will also serve hikers and
travelers through terrestrial navigation. Also it would be
integrated in mobile phones as well as deliver visual and voice
navigation for drivers.
