New Delhi: India’s space agency, ISRO, marked a significant milestone Wednesday morning with the successful launch of its 100th GSLV rocket from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota.
The GSLV-F15 rocket lifted off at 6:23 a.m., carrying the NVS-02 navigation satellite into space, adding another triumph to the nation’s space exploration achievements.
ISRO took to social media to announce the historic event, posting:
“LIFTOFF! The GSLV-F15 has successfully taken flight, carrying NVS-02 into its planned orbit. Stay tuned for more mission updates!”
🚀 LIFTOFF! The GSLV-F15 has successfully taken flight, carrying NVS-02 into its planned orbit.
Stay tuned for more mission updates! 🌌 #GSLV #NAVIC #ISRO
— ISRO (@isro) January 29, 2025
The GSLV-F15 flight was particularly noteworthy as it is the 17th mission of the Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV) and the 11th successful mission utilising an indigenous cryogenic stage.
It also marks the 8th operational flight of GSLV featuring the indigenous Cryogenic stage, and the milestone 100th launch from India’s renowned spaceport in Sriharikota.
GSLV-F15 payload fairing is a metallic version with a diameter of 3.4 meters and it will place NVS-02 satellite in a Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit.
The NVS-02 is part of the second-generation satellites for the Navigation with Indian Constellation (NavIC) system — India’s own navigation system.
The navigation satellite system is designed to provide accurate Position, Velocity, and Timing (PVT) service to users in India as well as to regions extending about 1500 km beyond Indian land mass.
The new NVS-02 satellite comes with new features such as supporting the L1 frequency band, which will improve its services and reliability.
“The NVS-02 satellite is the second generation of NavIC satellites, featuring a standard I-2K bus platform. It will have a lift-off mass of 2,250 kg, power handling capability of around 3 kW, navigation payload in L1, L5, and S bands, ranging payload in C-band and will be positioned at 111.75 degrees E, replacing IRNSS-1E,” ISRO said.
NavIC will provide two types of services, namely, Standard Positioning Service (SPS) and Restricted Service (RS). NavIC’s SPS provides a position accuracy of better than 20 metres and a timing accuracy of better than 40 nanoseconds over the service area.
This launch marks a significant leap in the country’s technological and scientific advancements in space exploration.
