India’s sixth navigation satellite, IRNSS-1F, put into orbit

India’s workhorse satellite launch vehicle PSLV-C32, on Thursday, succesfully put India’s sixth navigation satellite, IRNSS-1F , into orbit.

The IRNSS-1F was launched into a sub-Geosynchronous transfer orbit with a 284-km perigee (nearest point to Earth) and 20,657-km apogee (farthest point to Earth).

The satellite will carry two types of payloads — navigation payload and ranging payload. The navigation payload will transmit navigation service signals to users while the other consists of a C-band transponder that facilitates accurate determination of the range of the satellite.

IRNSS-1F is the sixth in the series of seven satellites proposed under the Indian Regional Navigational Satellite System (IRNSS). The IRNSS has come to be known as the country’s own GPS.