ISRO announced that it would launch its 100th satellite from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota on January 29. The space agency is preparing for the GSLV-F15 NVS-02 mission, which involves using the GSLV-F15 rocket equipped with an Indigenous Cryogenic stage to place the NVS-02 satellite into a Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit. The launch is scheduled to take place from the Second Launch Pad (SLP) at the Satish Dhawan Space Centre.
Interestingly, it was noted that NVS-01, the first satellite in the second-generation series, had been launched on May 29, 2023, aboard the GSLV-F12. The NVS-02 satellite, the second in this series, is designed with navigation payloads operating in L1, L5, and S bands, along with a ranging payload in C-band, similar to its predecessor.
The satellite is configured on a standard I-2K bus platform with a lift-off mass of 2,250 kg and a power handling capacity of approximately 3 kW, and it will be positioned at 111.75°E to replace the IRNSS-1E satellite. According to ISRO, the Navigation with Indian Constellation (NavIC) is India's independent regional navigation satellite system, which aims to provide accurate Position, Velocity, and Timing (PVT) services to users not only in India but also in regions extending about 1,500 km beyond the Indian landmass.
The agency indicated that satellites NVS-01 through NVS-05 are intended to enhance the NavIC base layer constellation with improved features for ensuring service continuity. It was also mentioned that the NVS-02 satellite utilises a combination of indigenous and procured atomic clocks for precise time estimation.
Additionally, ISRO pointed out that the NVS-02 satellite was designed, developed, and integrated at the U R Satellite Centre (URSC) with assistance from other satellite-based work centres. The GSLV-F15 mission marks the 17th flight of India’s Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle and the 11th flight featuring the Indigenous Cryogenic stage, with this particular flight being the 8th operational mission of the GSLV utilising an indigenous Cryogenic stage.
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Inputs from PTI