NAVIC - SCI & TECH
News: ISRO’s new NavIC satellite launches successfully
What is in the news?
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Recently, The Indian
Space Research Organization (ISRO) successfully launched the first of the
second-generation satellites for its navigation constellation.
Key takeaways from the news:
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It was launched by a Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle.
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Total weight is 2,232 kg, the heaviest in the
constellation.
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Each of the seven
satellites currently in the Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System (IRNSS)
constellation, operationally named NavIC, weighed much less around 1,425 kg.
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They all rode the lighter
Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV), ISRO’s workhorse launch rocket.
Key details:
Heaviest Satellite:
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The second-generation
satellite christened NVS-01, the
first of ISRO’s NVS series of payloads is heavier.
Atomic Clock:
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The space-qualified
Rubidium atomic clock indigenously developed by Space Application
Centre-Ahmedabad is an important technology.
L1 signals for better use in wearable devices:
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The second-generation
satellites will send signals in a third frequency, L1, besides the L5 and S
frequency signals that the existing satellites provide, increasing
interoperability with other satellite-based navigation systems.
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The L1 frequency is among the most commonly used in the Global Positioning
System (GPS), and will increase the use of the regional navigation system
in wearable devices and personal trackers that use low-power, single-frequency
chips.
Longer mission life:
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The second-generation
satellites will also have a longer mission life of more than 12 years. The existing satellites have
a mission life of 10 years.
Other Global Navigation Satellite systems:
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USA's Global Positioning System.
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Russian GLONASS (GLObalnaya NAvigatsionnaya
Sputnikovaya Sistema).
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European Galileo.
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Chinese Beidou.
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Japan has a
four-satellite system that can augment GPS signals over the country.
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India’s GAGAN (GPS Aided GEO Augmented
Navigation).
Navigation in Indian Constellation:
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Navic is designed with a
constellation of 8 satellites and a network of ground stations operating 24×7.
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The constellations' first
satellite (IRNSS-1A) was launched on 1st
July 2013.
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It was recognised by the
International Maritime Organization (IMO) as a part of the World-Wide Radio Navigation System (WWRNS) for operation in the
Indian Ocean Region in 2020.
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NavIC open signals will
be accurate up to 5 meters and
restricted signals will be even more accurate.
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NavIC provides coverage
over the Indian landmass and up to a radius
of 1,500 km around it. In this region, NavIC signals will likely be
available in even hard-to-reach areas.
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Unlike GPS, NavIC uses
satellites in high geo-stationary orbit;
the satellites move at a constant speed relative to Earth, so they are always
looking over the same region on Earth.
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NavIC signals come to
India at a 90-degree angle, making
it easier for them to reach devices located even in congested areas, dense
forests, or mountains.
Applications:
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Transportation
(terrestrial, aerial and marine)
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Location based services
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Personal mobility
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Resource monitoring
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Surveying and geodesy
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Scientific research
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Time dissemination and
synchronization
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Safety-of-life alert
dissemination.