ISRO's NVS-03 navigation satellite completes orbit-raising to reach geosynchronous orbit

Key facts

• The NVS-03 satellite, launched by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) on October 30, 2026, has reached its intended Geo Synchronous Orbit of 35765 km x 36196 km at an inclination of 29.980 degrees.
• Four orbit manoeuvres were successfully completed with a cumulative Liquid Apogee Motor (LAM) engine burn of 6164 seconds, and ISRO confirmed the satellite's health is normal.
• NVS-03 was injected into a 170.3 km x 38080 km orbit by the GSLV rocket launched from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikota, on October 30, 2026.
• NVS-03 is the third satellite in the next-generation navigation satellite system providing continuity of navigation services for the IRNSS series, carrying an indigenous atomic clock alongside procured clocks.
• The satellite includes L1 signal in addition to L5 and S band signals, with coverage over the Indian land mass and a region extending 1500 km around India's geopolitical boundary.
• The success is significant as ISRO could not perform intended orbit-raising operations for NVS-02, launched on January 29, 2025, due to a valve malfunction.