ISRO's GSLV-F18 Places NVS-03 Navigation Satellite in Orbit
The 20th GSLV flight lifted off from Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikota, at 11:51 p.m. IST on October 30, 2026, and placed the 2,232-kilogram NavIC satellite into geosynchronous transfer orbit.
FlyMarshall Newsroom1 min read
Photo: ISRO
ISRO's GSLV-F18 lifted off from Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikota, at 11:51 p.m. IST on October 30, 2026 (18:21 UTC) and placed the NVS-03 navigation satellite into geosynchronous transfer orbit.
The flight was the 20th by the Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle. NVS-03 is the third second-generation NavIC satellite. After separation, the spacecraft is to raise its orbit and complete in-orbit checks before it is commissioned.
Key details
- Payload mass: 2,232 kilograms. Orbit at injection: geosynchronous transfer orbit from SHAR.
- Clocks: an indigenous rubidium atomic clock plus procured atomic clocks. Signals: L1, L5, and S-band.
- NVS-02, flown on GSLV-F15 on January 29, 2025, reached transfer orbit but did not complete orbit raising after an electrical signal failed to reach a propulsion valve.
GSLV-F18 carrying NVS-03 lifts off from Satish Dhawan Space Centre, SHAR, Sriharikota.
Why it matters
NVS-03 is a NavIC replenishment satellite with an Indian rubidium clock and a civilian L1 signal, flown on a numbered GSLV after NVS-02 stayed in transfer orbit.
What happens next
ISRO said NVS-03 will now raise its orbit and go through in-orbit checks before commissioning. When will the first apogee-raising burn be reported?
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