The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) on Sunday informed that the NVS-02 navigation satellite, its celebrated 100th successful launch on board the GSLV-F15, suffered a technical glitch, stalling the mission.
Stating that the NVS-02 navigation satellite was successfully injected into the intended Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit, ISRO in a statement, informed that "all the launch vehicle stages performed flawlessly and the orbit was achieved with a high degree of precision."
“Subsequent to the launch, the solar panels on board the satellite were successfully deployed and power generation is nominal. Communication with the ground station has been established. But the orbit raising operations towards positioning the satellite to the designated orbital slot could not be carried out as the valves for admitting the oxidizer to fire the thrusters for orbit raising did not open,” ISRO said.
"The satellite systems are healthy and the satellite is currently in elliptical orbit. Alternate mission strategies for utilising the satellite for navigation in an elliptical orbit is being worked out," the space agency added.
Weighing approximately 2,250 kg, the NVS-02 navigation satellite was launched on the morning of January 29.
It was designed to enhance India’s navigation capabilities, supporting applications in terrestrial, aerial, and maritime navigation, precision agriculture, and more.
This satellite joins its predecessor, NVS-01, launched in May 2023, in augmenting the NavIC, which aims to provide accurate positioning, velocity, and timing services not just within India but extending 1,500 km beyond its borders.