ISRO's 100th Mission: Countdown Underway To Launch Navigation Satellite NVS-02 On Wednesday

The Indian Space Research Organisation is gearing up for its historic 100th rocket launch, with the GSLV-F15 rocket set to lift off from the second launch pad in Sriharikota at 6:23 a.m. on Jan. 29. The mission will carry the NVS-02 navigation satellite.

The 27-hour countdown for the landmark mission began at 2:53 a.m. on Tuesday, news agency PTI reported. This launch is also significant as it will be the first under the leadership of ISRO Chairman V Narayanan, who assumed office on Jan. 13.

This mission follows the successful launch of NVS-01, the first of the second-generation Navigation with Indian Constellation, or NavIC satellites, by GSLV-F12 on May 29, 2023.

GSLV-F15 is the 17th flight of the Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle and the 11th equipped with an indigenous cryogenic upper stage. The rocket's payload fairing, made of metal, has a diameter of 3.4 meters.

The NVS-02 satellite, weighing approximately 2,250 kg, will be placed in a Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit. Designed and developed by the UR Rao Satellite Centre, the satellite includes navigation payloads in L1, L5, and S bands, along with a C-band ranging payload similar to its predecessor, NVS-01.

This mission is part of the NavIC initiative — India's regional navigation satellite system, which offers precise position, velocity, and timing data across the Indian subcontinent and up to 1,500 km beyond its borders.

NavIC provides two types of services — Standard positioning service, or SPS, that offers a position accuracy better than 20 metres and timing accuracy better than 40 nanoseconds; and restricted service, or RS, which is a secured service for authorised users.

NavIC's second-generation satellites, including NVS-02, are designed to enhance the system's capabilities and ensure continuity of services.

The key applications for the NVS-02 satellite include terrestrial, aerial, and maritime navigation; precision agriculture; fleet management; and location-based services in mobile devices.