Science & TechnologyImportant2025-01-29

ISRO's 100th Launch Mission from Sriharikota

Why focus: GS3 Sci-Tech: Classic Prelims trap. NVS-02 launch tests NavIC vs GPS constellation numbers and atomic clock payloads in 'How-Many-Correct'.

In News

What Happened

On January 29, 2025, ISRO launched the GSLV-F15 rocket carrying the NVS-02 navigation satellite from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota. This marked a historic milestone as it was ISRO's 100th launch mission from the spaceport. The NVS-02 satellite was initially placed into a Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit to augment India's regional navigation system.

Why It Matters

This milestone highlights India's self-reliance in space launch technology, particularly with the consistent use of the GSLV's indigenous cryogenic stage. Furthermore, the NVS-02 satellite, part of the second-generation NavIC constellation, introduces critical L1 band signals and indigenous atomic clocks to enhance GPS interoperability and secure precision timing for both civilian and strategic uses.

Background

History & Context

The Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System (IRNSS), now known as NavIC, was approved by the Government of India in May 2006 to reduce dependence on foreign systems like the US GPS, a vulnerability exposed during the 1999 Kargil conflict. Sriharikota's launch history began with the first experimental flight of the SLV-3 E10 on August 10, 1979. Over the decades, ISRO transitioned to advanced rockets like the GSLV, ultimately reaching this 100-launch milestone while upgrading its satellite constellations to second-generation models.

What Changed

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Frequency Bands: BEFORE, first-generation NavIC satellites relied primarily on L5 and S bands for positioning data. NOW, second-generation NVS satellites incorporate the L1 frequency band, which is the standard used in consumer GPS, drastically improving civilian adoption in smartphones and wearable devices.
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Atomic Clocks: BEFORE, India relied on imported rubidium atomic clocks which faced a high failure rate in early IRNSS satellites, degrading their navigation capabilities. NOW, NVS satellites use indigenous Rubidium Atomic Frequency Standards developed by ISRO to ensure strategic autonomy.
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Mission Life: BEFORE, the first-generation NavIC satellites were designed with a standard mission lifespan of 10 years. NOW, the newer second-generation NVS satellites are engineered to have an extended mission life of 12 years.

Prelims Angle

NCERT Connection

This mission practically applies concepts from NCERT Class 11 Physics Chapter 8 - Gravitation. The placement of the NVS-02 satellite into a Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit, before being maneuvered into its final geostationary or geosynchronous slot, relies on the principles of orbital velocity, escape speed, and Kepler's laws of planetary motion.

Practice Questions

Q1

With Reference To

With reference to the NavIC (Navigation with Indian Constellation) system and the NVS series of satellites, consider the following statements: 1. NVS satellites introduce the L1 frequency band to improve interoperability with global positioning systems like GPS. 2. The second-generation NVS satellites exclusively use imported atomic clocks to avoid the failures seen in earlier missions. 3. NavIC provides both a Standard Positioning Service (SPS) for civilian use and a Restricted Service (RS) for authorized military users. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

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