ISRO's Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle, PSLV-C31, successfully launched the 1425 kg IRNSS-1E, the fifth satellite in the Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System (IRNSS) on Wednesday morning (January 20, 2016) from Satish Dhawan Space Centre SHAR, Sriharikota.

This is the 32nd consecutively successful mission of PSLV and the eleventh in its 'XL' configuration.

After the PSLV-C31 lift-off at 9.31 am IST from the Second Launch Pad with the ignition of the first stage, the subsequent important flight events, namely strap-on ignitions and separations, first stage separation, second stage ignition, heat-shield separation, second stage separation, third stage ignition and separation, fourth stage ignition and satellite injection, took place as planned.

After a flight of about 18 minutes 43 seconds, IRNSS-1E satellite was injected to an elliptical orbit of 282.4 km X 20,655.3 km inclined at an angle of 19.21 degree to the equator (very close to the intended orbit) and successfully separated from the PSLV fourth stage.

After injection, the solar panels of IRNSS-1E were deployed automatically. ISRO's Master Control Facility (at Hassan, Karnataka) took over the control of the satellite. In the coming days, four orbit manoeuvres will be conducted from Master Control Facility to position the satellite in the Geosynchronous Orbit at 111.75 degree East longitude with 28.1 degree inclination.

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