ISRO to launch NVS-03 navigation satellite aboard GSLV-F18 rocket

The next-generation navigation satellite NVS-03 will be launched on the GSLV-F18 from the Sriharikota space centre in Andhra Pradesh at 11:51 p.m. IST on Friday by the Indian Space Research Organisation.

The launch will be from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre’s Second Launch Pad and will be the 20th flight of an India Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV), ISRO said.

NVS-03 is the third satellite in the second generation NavIC series. Aimed at augmenting India’s independent satellite navigation capability and ensuring the continuity of PNT services, it is part of the Navigation with Indian Constellation system.

Two Atomic Clocks will be on-board the Satellite, one genuine, self-manufactured Atomic Clock and the other “bought-in” Atomic Clocks. It will also include the L1 navigation signal, in addition to the existing L5 and S-band signals, giving a coverage of entire India and 1,500 kilometres beyond.

The satellite will be injected into a Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit (GTO) and then maneuvered into its final operating orbit.

The mission is scheduled to take place after technical challenges with the NVS-02 satellite, which missed its planned orbit in Jan 2025