Chennai, Nov. 1 -- India's navigation satellite mission has achieved a major milestone, with the recently launched satellite successfully placed in an elliptical orbit and further orbit-raising operations underway, ISRO Chairman V Narayanan said on Sunday.

Speaking to reporters after arriving in Chennai, Narayanan said the satellite launched on October 30 was initially placed in an elliptical orbit at an altitude of around 38,000 km. Using its onboard propulsion system, the satellite was raised by another 5,500 km on Saturday, while further operations continued on Sunday to take it to a higher orbit.

Describing the mission as a grand success, he said satellite-based navigation technology was essential for determining location, time and ...