India ready to launch its fourth navigation satellite

Chennai, March 28: An Indian rocket is readying to blast off at 5.19 p.m. on Saturday carrying the country's fourth navigation satellite IRNSS-1D from the Sriharikota rocket port, the Indian space agency said . The countdown is progressing smoothly with the rocket's second stage fuelled up early Saturday morning. The 59-and-a-half hour countdown began on March 26 at 5.49 a.m. Around 20 minutes into the flight, the rocket - the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV-C27) - would eject the Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System (IRNSS)-1D at around 506 km above the earth. From there the satellite would further be moved to its final position. India has so far 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 upto an area of 1,500 km. The three satellites launched earlier have been integrated with the ground stations and are working well.