India Expected to Launch 2 More Navigation Satellites in 2015

India is expected to launch at least two more navigation satellites this year and one more in 2016 so as to offer satellite navigation services in the middle of next year, said Indian space agency officials.

Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro) officials deny any diversion of focus delaying the operationalisation of navigation satellite system.

The three satellite launches will be in addition to the one that India is expected to put into orbit on Saturday evening.

"We will surely be launching two more navigation satellites this year apart from Saturday's launch. At the end of the year we will have six navigation satellites up in the sky out of the constellation of seven such satellites," senior officials of Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro) told IANS preferring anonymity.

According to officials, the seventh and the last one of the Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System (IRNSS) in all probability would go up early part of 2016.

The full navigation services are expected to be offered from mid 2016 onwards, according to the officials.