THE Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) on Monday successfully launched and put into Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit the first of a series of its second generation navigation satellites using a GSLV rocket. Subsequent orbit-raising manoeuvres will take NVS-01 navigation satellite into the intended geosynchronous orbit, ISRO said. NVS-01 would augment the country’s regional navigation system, providing accurate and real-time navigation. At the end of a 27.5 hour countdown, the 51.7 metre tall, 3-stage Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle with a cryogenic upper stage, lifted off at a prefixed time of 10.42 am from the second launch pad at the spaceport here, located about 130 km from Chennai. This was GSLV’s 15th flight.

 

The launch of the NVS-01 is significant as it would ensure the continuity of NavIC (Navigation with Indian Constellation) services -- an Indian regional satellite navigation system, similar to GPS, providing accurate and real-time navigation. Signals from NavIC are designed to provide user position accurate to better than 20 metres and timing accuracy better than 50 nanoseconds. ISRO Chairman S Somanathcongratulatedthe entireteamforthe“excellent outcome” of the mission. “NVS-01 has been placed in precise orbit by GSLV. Congratulationstotheentire ISRO team for making the mission happen,” he said in hispost-launchaddressfrom the Mission Control Centre. Today’ssuccesscameafter the GSLV F10 “debacle”, he said referring to the anomaly in the cryogenic stage of the launch vehicle in August 2021, following which the then mission could not be fufilled.Heexpressedjoythat “corrections in cryogenic stageandlessonslearnthave really paid benefits” and creditedthe Failure Analysis Committee for addressing the problem. Somanath further said NVS-01 is a second generation satellite with additional capabilities. The signals will be more secure andacivilianfrequencyband hasbeenintroduced,hesaid.