Sias ISRO chairman G Madhavan Nair has announced that the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is building up an India-specific navigation system in the lines of the Global Positioning System (GPS) with a total investment of around Rs 1,600 crore.

The Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System (IRNSS), consisting seven satellites, will be complete in 2011-12, he said.

The system developed in an indigenous manner will serve the country’s particular requirements, supplying infrastructure for getting information on location, navigation and timing. The statistics can also be used for a range of other applications including agriculture, civil aviation and fisheries.

Mr. Nair said, “We have already begun work on the system. It will be totally under our control. As part of the project, three satellites would be placed in the geo-synchronous transfer orbit, while the remaining four would be in geo-stationary orbit.”

Currently, the US defence department has been controlling the Global Positioning System (GPS). Russia is also in the process of reestablishing its own navigation system of 24 satellites, Glonass, by next two years (2009). As well, Europe is establishing a satellite navigation system, Galileo, which comprise 30 satellites that would be ready in 2012-13.

For the coming year’s Chandrayaan 1 mission, Isro may combine with Japanese Aerospace Exploratory Agency (Jaxa).

“Jaxa’s lunar mission will take off soon and we are looking at using their data for our lunar mission. In return, we have offered them the tracking facility,” Mr. Nair said.