ISRO Scores Another Success with Launch of Navigation Satellite NVS-03
The launch represents the 20th flight of the GSLV programme
SRIHARIKOTA: The Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro), working in its shortest-ever launch campaign, successfully hoisted a key satellite of India’s navigation system with the textbook launch of a GSLV rocket from the spaceport at Sriharikota at 11.51 pm on Friday. About 20 minutes later, Isro announced that the second-generation navigation satellite NVS-03 was released in space as scheduled.
The 2,250-kg satellite was successfully injected into its designated geosynchronous transfer orbit (GTO), paving the way for its manoeuvring into the operational orbit. The GSLV soared into the night sky from the Second Launch Pad, leaving a trail of orange flames as thousands of people gathered at the visitors’ gallery to witness the launch and scientists at the mission control centre cheered the successful culmination of the mission.
The launch, marking the 20th GSLV mission from Sriharikota, is a significant step towards strengthening NavIC (Navigation with Indian Constellation), India's home-grown autonomous regional satellite navigation system.
NVS-03 is the third satellite in Isro's next-generation navigation satellite series, designed to ensure continuity, improve accuracy and enhance the reliability of NavIC services. The system provides Position, Navigation and Timing (PNT) services across India and a region extending approximately 1,500 km beyond the Indian mainland, catering to civilian, commercial and strategic requirements.
A major technological feature of NVS-03 is its atomic clock system, which incorporates an indigenous atomic clock alongside procured systems. The satellite will also introduce the L1 navigation signal at 1575.42 MHz, in addition to the existing L5 and S-band signals. Widely used by GPS and other global navigation satellite systems, the L1 frequency is expected to make NavIC more accessible to civilian users, including those relying on navigation devices, wearables and location-based services, while expanding its commercial applications.
The GSLV placed the satellite into a highly elliptical transfer orbit, from where it will be manoeuvred towards its operational orbit approximately 35,800 km above the Earth. The satellite will use its onboard propulsion system to reach its designated orbital position, making the precision of the initial injection vital for ensuring its operational life.
With the successful launch of NVS-03, ISRO has further strengthened India's efforts to establish an independent and reliable satellite navigation infrastructure, reducing dependence on foreign navigation systems and expanding the country's capabilities in space-based services.
