NVS-03 is in orbit. Here’s why it matters for NavIC, India’s own GPS

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has placed NVS-03, a new navigation satellite, into its intended orbit, a step towards reviving NavIC, India’s own satellite navigation system. The satellite was launched on a GSLV-F18 rocket from the second launch pad at Sriharikota at 11.51 p.m. on 30 October. It was the 20th flight of the GSLV.

What is NavIC?

NavIC (Navigation with Indian Constellation) is India’s answer to the American GPS. It gives position, route and timing signals over India and up to about 1,500 km around it, and is meant to keep working even if access to foreign systems were cut off in a crisis. It is used by the armed forces, for fishing boats and disaster warnings, in vehicle tracking and, increasingly, in mobile phones.

Why the launch was needed

NavIC was designed around seven satellites, but several of the older ones have failed or are past their working lives; officials had said only three were fully serving the system. The previous launch did not help: NVS-02, sent up on GSLV-F15 in January 2025, could not reach its working orbit because a valve meant to fire its engine malfunctioned. NVS-03, weighing about 2,232 kg, is the third of a new generation of satellites that carry an Indian-made atomic clock and a new civilian signal designed to work better with phones.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi called the launch an important step in strengthening NavIC.

What’s next

The satellite will take some weeks to settle into position and be tested before it joins the service. ISRO has said it plans at least five more launches before the end of March 2027, including two each on the PSLV and SSLV rockets and one by a private company. The uncrewed first flight of Gaganyaan, India’s human spaceflight programme, is also expected later this year or early next.