The successful completion of the seven spacecraft Indian domestic satellite navigation system, IRNSS(Indian Regional Navigation Satellite Launch) with the flawless launch of the last of the satellite in the series, IRNSS-1G, by means of an augmented X version of the four stage, reliable Indian space workhorse, Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle(PSLV) on April 28 is by all means a welcome development for the Indian defence establishment keen on expanding its access to the home-grown satellite navigation system for boosting its combat capabilities and meeting its strategic objectives speedily and efficiently. There is no denying the point that for the Indian defence forces, IRNSS could be a veritable game changer and force multiplier.

    The IRNSS-1G satellite, designed for a mission life of twelve years, was placed into a sub- geosynchronous transfer orbit by the thirty fourth consecutively successful PSLV mission. It took around twenty minutes for the....