Science & Environment

India`s eighth navigation satellite implodes on take off

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India’s Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) C-39, carrying IRNSS-1H navigation satellite, lifts off from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, India, August 31, 2017. REUTERS/P. Ravikumar

India’s eighth navigation satellite imploded shortly after lift off on Thursday, state-run Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) said.

NEW DELHI (Reuters) – India&rsquo-s eighth navigation satellite imploded shortly after lift off on Thursday, state-run Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) said.

The IRNSS-1H satellite had been expected to join seven others in the Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System (IRNSS) to take the country a step further to developing its own global positioning system.

&ldquo-Satellite got separated internally but it imploded within the heat shield, in the fourth stage itself,&rdquo- ISRO Chairman A.S. Kiran Kumar told reporters in a televised news conference.

The heat shield is meant to protect the satellite from the heat generated by the friction against atmosphere during take-off. Once a satellite is placed into orbit, it is expected to separate and fall off.

The IRNSS-1H satellite had been released from the Sriharikota Space Centre in southern India.

IRNSS helps navigate the country&rsquo-s aerial and marine routes, as well as aid disaster management and vehicle tracking up to 1,500 kilometers (932 miles) around the mainland.

However, India lags behind the United States&rsquo- GPS, Russia&rsquo-s GLONASS, Europe&rsquo-s Galileo and China&rsquo-s Beidou systems that have dozens of satellites to provide information across the globe.

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