NAVIGATION WITH INDIAN CONSTELLATION(NAVIC)

SUCCESSFUL LAUNCH OF PSLV-C33(IRNSS-1G):

The seventh satellite to make up the Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System (IRNSS), called the IRNSS-1G, has been launched into space via the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) C33 rocket from Sriharikota spaceport in southwestern India.This was the final step towards completing India’s own satellite navigation system. This has made the nation self-reliant in the field of space-based positioning.

How the name NAVIC came?

PM Narendra Modi has christened the navigation system ‘NAVIC‘, which in Hindi means ‘sailor’ or ‘navigator’. The name is also supposed to be a contraction of the phrase ‘navigation with Indian constellation’.He described this as an example of “Make in India,” and “Made for Indians.”

India joined the club of elite GPS countries such as 

America-Global Positioning System (GPS),

European union-Galileo

China-BeiDou

Russia-Glonass

**France and Japan(QZSS-Quasi-Zenith Satellite System) are in the process of developing regional navigation systems.

Importance:

While GPS and Glonass are fully functional global systems, the Chinese and the Japanese systems offer regional coverage and Europe’s Galileo is yet to be operational. India will formally join the select group of nations owing such system once IRNSS is declared operational after checking the systems – space (satellites), ground (ground stations) and the user-end signal receivers.

About IRNSS:

What is it? 

IRNSS is an independent regional navigation satellite system designed to provide position information in the Indian region and 1500 km around the Indian mainland. Simply put, the Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System (IRNSS) is similar to the GPS (global positioning system) of the US, Glonass of Russia and Galileo of Europe as well as China’s Beidou.

It consists of a constellation of seven satellites. 3 of the satellites will be placed in the Geostationary orbit (GEO) and the remaining 4 in the Geosynchronous orbit(GSO) to have a larger signal footprint and lower number of satellites to map the region.

What all services are provided? 

IRNSS would provide two types of services, namely Standard Positioning Services available to all users and Restricted Services provided to authorised users.

It is intended to provide an all-weather absolute position accuracy of better than 7.6 meters throughout India and within a region extending approximately 1,500 km around it.

Applications of IRNSS:

Terrestrial, Aerial and Marine Navigation. 

Disaster Management. 

Vehicle tracking and fleet management. 

Integration with mobile phones. 

Precise Timing. Mapping and Geodetic data capture. 

Terrestrial navigation aid for hikers and travelers. 

Visual and voice navigation for drivers.

SOURCE-ISRO WEBSITE