ISRO to give India its ’Desi GPS’

Mangalore Today News Network

Sriharikota, Apr 4, 2014:  If you are tech savvy then getting lost may soon become very difficult. India is progressing to install its own satellite navigation system, sometimes dubbed the ’desi GPS’, a fleet of seven satellites that help provide precise locations within 20 meters.

Till now most of us have relied on the American GPS or the Global Positioning System, very popular on smart phones but not good enough for military applications as it can’t be relied upon for seamless coverage in times of war and the in-built error makes it unsuitable for precision strikes.

India will become the sixth nation to embark on this after America, Russia, Europe, China and Japan. Some may ask, if this satellite navigation system by India were working would it have been possible to locate the lost Malaysian Airlines Flight 370. Unfortunately the answer is no.

Using the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle or PSLV, India will launch its second of the seven satellites necessary for providing accurate locational specificity.

The satellites continuously beam down data that can be read by special hand held instruments which, when calibrated using sensors based on the ground, can help pin point location.

India’s satellite system is designed to cover a region of about 1500 km on either side of the border, essentially covering the geographical region from where India has a perception of threat, both Pakistan and China are within the footprint.

Today in its 26 flight India’s workhorse rocket the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle or PSLV is hoping to hoist a 1432 kilogram special satellite that carries on it a precision clock called an atomic clock and a set of other home-made instruments that beam down accurate time and location data. The entire fleet of seven satellites is likely to be ready by 2016 when Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System will become operational. The first Indian navigation satellite launched last year in July is working normally.

 

Courtesy:NDTV