ISRO to launch new navigation satellite: All you need to know about NAVIC, India's answer to GPS

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By India Today Science Desk: The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) will launch the NVS-01 navigation satellite, part of the Navigation with Indian Constellation (NavIC) series to space on May 29.

The 2,232-kilogram satellite will lift off onboard India's workhorse, the Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV) to space from the second launch pad at the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota. It will be deployed in the Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit.

NVS-01 is the first of the second-generation satellites envisaged for the Navic constellation that is designed to sustain and augment the NavIC with enhanced features.

The NVS-01 packed in the payload fairing of the GSLV. (Photo: Isro)
What is Navic?
Have you ever used Google Maps or Apple Maps to navigate from one location to another? This is called the Global Positioning System (GPS), which is a free service that is provided by a series of satellites in orbit maintained by the US government. NavIC is India's answer to the GPS.

The Navigation with Indian Constellation (NavIC) is a regional navigation satellite system developed by Isro that is a constellation of seven satellites in orbit that work in tandem with ground stations. The network provides navigational services to both general users and the strategic users, namely the armed forces.

NVS-01 is the first of the second-generation satellites of NavIC series. (Photo: Isro)

The system was developed looking at the growing requirements of the Civil Aviation sector in the country for better positioning, navigation, and timing. The network covers an area including India and a region up to 1500 km beyond the Indian boundary. The signals are designed to provide user position accuracy better than 20 meters and timing accuracy better than 50 nanoseconds.

The system is used in terrestrial, aerial, and marine transportation, location-based services, personal mobility, resource monitoring, surveying and geodesy, scientific research, time dissemination and synchronization, and safety-of-life alert dissemination.

The NavIC system operates in the L5 band, which is a protected frequency specifically assigned to the Indian system. This dedicated frequency enhances the system's robustness and ensures minimal interference from other signals. The NVS-1 being launched on May 29 incorporates L1 band signals additionally to widen the services. It is to be noted that the GPS operates in the L1 band, which is shared with several other navigation systems worldwide.
The seven satellites in the Navic constellation include IRNSS-1A, IRNSS-1B, IRNSS-1C, IRNSS-1D, IRNSS-1E, IRNSS-1F, and IRNSS-1G satellites.
"The GSLV-F12/NVS-01 mission is designed to deploy the new navigation satellite, weighing about 2,232 kg, into a Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit. Subsequent orbit raising maneuvers will be used for taking the satellite to the intended orbit," Isro has said.

Isro to launch new navigation satellite: All you need to know about Navic, India's answer to GPS

NVS-01 is the first of the second-generation satellites envisaged for the Navic constellation that will be launched by Isro at the end of May.

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