ISRO Faces Setback After Engine Ignition Failure of its NVS-02 Satellite in Space
It was reported that the satellite systems are in good condition.
The NVS-02 navigation satellite, launched last week by ISRO, has faced a significant challenge. Reports indicate that the booster rockets failed to ignite, preventing the necessary orbital adjustments from being made. This incident occurred after the satellite's launch on January 29 aboard the GSLV-F15 rocket, which marks ISRO's hundredth launch from the Sriharikota spaceport. The NVS-02 is essential for the Indian Navigation with Constellation (NavIC) system, designed to enhance national space navigation capabilities.
ISRO stated that "the operations to raise the orbit necessary to place the satellite in its designated orbital position could not be carried out because the valves for admitting the oxidizer that fuels the rockets did not open." Despite this setback, the satellite is in good condition, currently orbiting in an elliptical Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit (GTO). ISRO mentioned that "alternative mission strategies are being developed to utilize the satellite for navigation in an elliptical orbit."
The launch, on the other hand, was successful, with each stage of the GSLV rocket performing smoothly. The satellite was placed in GTO with high precision, the solar panels were deployed as planned, and stable communication was established with the ground station. Additionally, the power generation systems are also functioning nominally. NavIC satellites are designed to provide accurate positioning, velocity, and timing data for users within India and up to 1,500 km beyond its borders. The NVS-02 is the second satellite of this new generation of NavIC, following the NVS-01, which was launched in May 2023.