Chennai : Indias first dedicated navigation satellite IRNSS-1A will be launched onboard PSLV-C22 around midnight tomorrow from the spaceport of Sriharikota with the mission countdown progressing smoothly.

ISROs workhorse Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) is scheduled to blast off from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre at Sriharikota, about 80 km from here, at 11.41 PM carrying the satellite, sources said.

“The 64-and-a-half hour countdown for the launch has begun at 7.11 AM yesterday and is progressing smoothly. Everything is on schedule and the launch would take place at 11.41 pm tomorrow,” Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) said sources.

On the unusual midnight launch, the first from Sriharikota, ISRO sources said the time for every launch was determined by the orbital parameters and inclination. Taking into consideration the requirements of IRNSS-1A, it had been fixed at 11.41 PM.