India plans own version of GPS by 2016
April 12, 2014
India is steadily making impressive forays into space giving Western powers and China a run for their money. The latest example is the successful launch on April 4 of the second navigation satellite which will provide an indigenous alternative to the United States’ Global Positioning System (GPS) by 2016.
The satellite, launched by the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) from Sriharikota in the southern state of Andhra Pradesh earlier in April, is part of the seven navigation satellites project known as the Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System (IRNSS). ISRO had successfully put into orbit India’s first dedicated navigational satellite, the IRNSS-1A, was on July 1, 2013. The successful launch of the two satellites under the IRNSS program has catapulted India into a select group of nations with indigenously developed navigation systems.