It is for the first time that an indigeneously developed rubidium atomic clock would be used in May 29’s launch, the ISRO said.
Scientists at the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) on May 28 at 7.12 am commenced the 27.5 hour countdown for the launch of a navigation satellite on board a GSLV rocket in Sriharikota on May 29.
The Bengaluru-headquartered space agency is all geared up to launch the second-generation navigation satellite series, a significant launch which would ensure the continuity of NavIC (Navigation with Indian Constellation) services — an Indian regional satellite navigation system, similar to GPS, providing accurate and real-time navigation in India and a region extending to 1,500 km around the mainland.
NavIC signals are designed to provide user position accurate to better than 20-metres and timing accuracy better than 50 nanoseconds.
The 51.7 metre tall Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle, on its 15th flight, would carry the navigation satellite NVS-01 weighing 2,232 kg on Monday at 10.42 am from the second launch pad at the Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SHAR) here, about 130 km from Chennai.
Nearly 20 minutes after the flight, the rocket is scheduled to deploy the satellite in a geosynchronous transfer orbit (GTO) at an altitude of about 251 km, ISRO said.
The NVS-01 carries navigation payloads L1, L5 and S bands and in comparison with the previous one, the second-generation satellite would also carry an indigeneously developed rubidium atomic clock.
It is for the first time that an indigeneously developed rubidium atomic clock would be used in May 29’s launch, the ISRO said.