New Delhi: The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) successfully launched India’s next-generation navigation satellite, NVS-03, aboard the Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV-F18) from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh, on October 30.

The 50-metre-tall, three-stage rocket lifted off from the Second Launch Pad at 11:51 PM IST carrying the 2,232-kg payload. The launch vehicle precisely injected the NVS-03 satellite into a Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit (GTO) with a perigee of 170.3 km and an apogee of 38,080 km.

Following orbit-raising manoeuvres over the coming days, the satellite will be placed in its designated orbital slot to augment the Navigation with Indian Constellation (NavIC) system and ensure uninterrupted service continuity.

NVS-03 is the third satellite in the second-generation NVS series designed to strengthen India’s regional satellite navigation capabilities. The satellite carries an indigenous atomic clock along with procured atomic clocks. It also incorporates the L1 navigation band alongside the existing L5 and S-band signals to enhance overall operational efficiency.

The additional L1 band signals provide coverage over the Indian landmass and extend up to 1,500 km beyond the country’s geopolitical boundaries.

NavIC is an independent regional navigation satellite system developed by India to provide accurate Position, Velocity, and Timing (PVT) services across the region. It offers two categories of services: the Standard Positioning Service (SPS) for civilian users and the encrypted Restricted Service (RS) for authorised strategic users.

ISRO plans to deploy five second-generation satellites in total to replace aging first-generation space assets and maintain robust, high-precision positioning services.