ISRO to launch Communications Satellite for Strategic Applications soon

[PARIKRAMA]

GSLV Launch Vehicle is primarily used to Launch Communication Satellites

Indian Space Research Organisation Chairman A.S. Kiran Kumar on Wednesday informed that ISRO is set to to launch Communications Satellite for Strategic Applications in July or August this year.

ISRO chief also informed that they are manufacturing rubidium-based, high-precision atomic clocks for use in its next series of navigation satellites.

The four navigation satellites that are up deploy European atomic clocks. The ISRO is developing the seven-satellite regional navigation constellation.

The satellites are used for civil and military purposes and display the exact position and time of persons and objects on earth. So, it is extremely important that they keep accurate time as they transmit signals.

Kumar informed that the ISRO's Space Applications Centre in Ahmedabad and the CSIR's National Physical Laboratory in New Delhi together are building the prototypes of atomic clocks. "We still have to make qualified and flight-worthy versions. Our next generation navigation satellites will carry our own clocks" when they start substituting the IRNSS-1 series after their life of 10 years, said Kumar. The IRNSS has commonly been dubbed as India's own local 'GPS.'

Each navigation spacecraft brings an active and two stand-by clocks. The home-made ones should be dense and fuel-efficient in space.

The ISRO would motivate navigation in the country with chipsets and other smart products. A company based in Hyderabad was developing a dongle-like tool that could be attached to a laptop or a tablet PC.

ISRO to launch Communications Satellite for Strategic Applications soon