ISRO strengthens NAVIC with successful launch of next-generation navigation satellite
The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has successfully launched its next-generation navigation satellite, NVS-03, aboard the GSLV-F18 rocket from Sriharikota.
The launch took place at 11.51 pm on Friday from the second launch pad at the Satish Dhawan Space Centre, following a 24-hour countdown.
The 50-metre-tall, three-stage launch vehicle, weighing approximately 420 tonnes at lift-off, carried the 2,250-kg satellite into a Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit. The mission marked the 20th flight of India’s Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle.
NVS-03 is designed to enhance the country’s indigenous Navigation with Indian Constellation (NavIC) system, bringing the number of active satellites in the network to four.
NavIC provides positioning, navigation and timing services across India and an area extending approximately 1,500 kilometres beyond its borders. Its applications include maritime navigation, vehicle tracking, emergency alerts and other civilian services.
The satellite features an Indian-developed Rubidium atomic clock intended to improve navigation accuracy. It also supports signals in the L1 civil band alongside the L5 and S bands, enabling compatibility with devices such as smartphones, smartwatches and fitness trackers.
The mission is expected to strengthen India’s independent navigation capabilities and reduce reliance on foreign systems such as GPS.
The launch follows the setback involving NVS-02 in January 2025, when a fuel valve connector issue prevented the satellite from reaching its intended orbit. ISRO subsequently reviewed the spacecraft’s design and modified its pyrotechnic valve configuration.
NVS-03 entered an elliptical transfer orbit with an initial perigee of around 170 kilometres and an apogee of approximately 37,023 kilometres, at an inclination of 20.75 degrees. Further orbit-raising operations will position it at its designated geosynchronous location of 32.5 degrees East.
ISRO Chairman V Narayanan announced the mission’s success, describing the launch as highly precise and among the best performances achieved by the vehicle.
He also highlighted the shorter turnaround between GSLV missions, with the latest launch following the previous mission by just 56 days.
Narayanan said the satellite would strengthen NavIC as a strategic national asset, supporting applications such as train, aircraft and ship tracking, along with India’s wider timing and navigation requirements.