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Context:

ISRO reported a partial failure of its NVS-02 navigation satellite due to non-firing of its engines in space, marking the latest setback in a series of setbacks for the Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System (IRNSS).

About NavIC

NavIC, or the Navigation with Indian Constellation, is India’s indigenous satellite navigation system.

The idea to create indigenous satellite navigation system originated after the 1999 Kargil War when India realized the limitations of relying on the American GPS for military operations. The goal was to create a reliable, independent navigation system for both defense and civilian use.

The system offers positioning accuracy better than 20 meters across India and up to 1,500 km around it.

It was designed to have a constellation of seven satellites by 2016 for defence and civilian use. . However, only 5 of the 11 satellites launched remain fully operational. 

Despite ISRO announcing the constellation complete in 2016, failures and replacements have overrun the ₹2,250 crore program.

Some key challenges are:

Atomic Clock Failures:

• Each NavIC satellite carries three rubidium atomic clocks, which are critical for accurate positioning.
• In 2016, all three atomic clocks on IRNSS-1A failed. Similar issues were reported in other satellites like IRNSS-1C, 1D, 1E, and 1G.
• These failures were not unique to India; the European Galileo system also faced similar issues with its atomic clocks.

Satellite Launch Failures:

• IRNSS-1H, launched in 2017 to replace IRNSS-1A, failed because the heat shield of the rocket did not detach, preventing the satellite from reaching its intended orbit.
• The latest satellite, NVS-02 (IRNSS-1K), launched in 2025, suffered an engine failure, leaving it in a sub-optimal orbit.

Operational Challenges:

• Out of the 11 satellites launched so far, only five are fully operational as of 2024.
• Some satellites, like IRNSS-1C, are only partially operational due to lingering issues with the older generation of atomic clocks.

Despite these setbacks, NavIC has achieved significant milestones. It provides two types of services:

• Standard Positioning Service (SPS) for civilian and commercial use.
• Restricted Service (RS) for defense purposes.

Steps taken

ISRO has introduced next-generation satellites like NVS-01 and NVS-02, which use a mix of indigenous and foreign atomic clocks. ISRO also plans to launch three more second-generation satellites (NVS-03, 04, and 05) to strengthen the NavIC constellation and ensure continuity of services.

ISRO is working to make NavIC more accessible. For example, Qualcomm, a global chipmaker, has started including NavIC support in its chipsets, which will help integrate the system into smartphones and other devices.

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Source: 

INDIAN EXPRESS