New Delhi, Jan 28: The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is set to achieve a major milestone with the 100th launch of its GSLV rocket from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota on January 29.
The GSLV F15 rocket will lift off from the second launch pad at 6:23 am, carrying the NVS-02 navigation satellite into space. This will be the 100th launch from Sriharikota, which first witnessed a major rocket launch on August 10, 1979, with the Satellite Launch Vehicle (SLV).
“Standing tall and ready for the skies! Here’s the mighty GSLV-F15 all set to launch the NVS-02 satellite,” ISRO announced on the social media platform X.
GSLV-F15 will be the 17th flight of India’s Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV) and the 11th launch featuring an indigenous cryogenic stage.
“This is the 8th operational flight of GSLV with an indigenous Cryogenic stage, and the 100th launch from India’s spaceport in Sriharikota,” ISRO noted.
The GSLV-F15 payload fairing, measuring 3.4 meters in diameter, is metallic, and the rocket will place the NVS-02 satellite in a Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit (GTO).
The NVS-02 satellite is part of the second generation of India’s Navigation with Indian Constellation (NavIC) system, which provides accurate Position, Velocity, and Timing (PVT) services not only in India but also in regions extending 1500 km beyond the Indian subcontinent.
The NVS-02 satellite comes equipped with new features, including support for the L1 frequency band, enhancing its service reliability.
According to ISRO, “The NVS-02 satellite, part of the NavIC second generation, features a standard I-2K bus platform with a lift-off mass of 2,250 kg. It will have a power handling capacity of around 3 kW, navigation payloads in L1, L5, and S bands, and ranging payload in the C-band. It will be positioned at 111.75 degrees E, replacing IRNSS-1E.”
NavIC provides two types of services: Standard Positioning Service (SPS), offering position accuracy better than 20 meters, and Restricted Service (RS), delivering timing accuracy of better than 40 nanoseconds across its service area.
