<div><em>Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System will offer standard positioning system for civilian use and encrypted services for military use. <strong>BW Online Bureau</strong> reports.</em></div><div> </div><div> </div><div>The Indian Space Research Organisation said on Thursday (October 8, 2015) that all the seven satellites of Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System (IRNSS) are expected to be in orbit in next five months.</div><div> </div><div>IRNSS is an autonomous regional satellite navigation system under complete control of the government. The IRNSS would provide two services, with the Standard Positioning Service open for civilian use, and the Restricted Service (an encrypted one) for authorised users (including the military).</div><div> </div><div>The requirement of such a navigation system arose because access to foreign government-controlled global navigation satellite systems is not guaranteed in hostile situations, as happened to the Indian military depending on American GPS during the Kargil War.</div><div> </div><div>IRNSS would have seven satellites, out of which four are already placed in orbit.</div><div> </div><div>ISRO is looking to make signals of IRNSS available not only to India and surrounding countries, but also to the entire globe, ISRO Chairman Kiran Kumar said in Bangalore.</div><div> </div><div>“We expect by March 2016 all the seven constellation of IRNSS to be in orbit," he said.</div><div> </div><div>IRNSS is ISRO's initiative to build an independent satellite navigation system to provide precise position, velocity and time to the users of Indian region. With the addition of fourth spacecraft IRNSS-1D in March 2015, the minimum satellite requirement is met and independent positioning is now possible for the first time using an Indian satellite-based navigation system.</div><div> </div><div>ashish.sinha@businessworld.in</div><div> </div>
