NVS-02 Satellite

The NVS-02 will become the 100th launched satellite of Indian Space Research Organisation on-board GSLV-F15 from Sriharikota on January 29.

• GSLV-F15: The launch will be the 17th flight of the GSLV vehicle overall and 11th flight using the indigenously developed cryogenic engine.

About NVS-02 Satellite

• NVS-02 is part of the Navigation with Indian Constellation (NavIC) system.
• The NVS-02 is the second of the five second-generation satellites developed to replace the existing satellites in the country’s navigation constellation Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System (IRNSS).
  • NVS-01, the first of the five second-generation satellites, was launched in 2023.
• Objective: It aims to augment Indian navigational requirements, both in the private and in the military sectors.
• Designed: The NVS-02 satellite was designed, developed and integrated at U R Satellite Centre (URSC) 
• Weight: It is a 2,250-kg navigation satellite 
• Orbit: The satellite will be injected into a 170 x 36,577 km Geostationary Transfer Orbit
• Coordinates: It will be placed at 111.75ºE.
• Need: NVS 02 will replace IRNSS-1E. 
  • Replacements were needed as the atomic clocks on-board the satellites started malfunctioning in some satellites even before completion of their lifespan.
• Features: 
  • Longer Lifespan: The new generation of satellites have a longer lifespan of 12 years
  • Higher Accuracy: The Satellite carries an advanced navigation payload operating in three frequency bands (L1, L5, and S) to ensure high accuracy.
  • Indigenous Atomic Clock: The NVS 02 is equipped with a precise atomic clock called the Rubidium Atomic Frequency Standard (RAFS) for accurate timekeeping
    • An indigenous atomic clock was flown in NVS-01 for the first time.
  • Widened Services: NVS-02 utilises L1 frequency (used in the US Global Positioning System (GPS)) leading to more utilisation by smaller devices such as fitness trackers.

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About  Navigation with Indian Constellation (NavIC) System

• Navigation with Indian Constellation (NavIC) is India’s very own regional satellite navigation system developed by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO)
  • It is previously  known as the Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System (IRNSS). 
• Coverage:  It provides  accurate positioning services across the country and a region extending up to 1500 km beyond its borders
• Objective: To meet the positioning, navigation and timing requirements of the Indian subcontinent.
• Constellation: NavIC is a constellation of 7 satellites with  Three satellites placed in geostationary orbit, and four satellites are placed in inclined geosynchronous orbit.
  • IRNSS-1A : The first satellite in the constellation IRNSS-1A was launched in 2013, with a mission life of 10 years.
• The Ground Network: NavIC consists of a network of ground stations operating 24 x 7 with precise timing facility, range and integrity monitoring stations, two-way ranging stations, etc.
• Service Offered: NavIC offers two services ie. Standard Position Service (SPS) for civilian users and Restricted Service (RS) for strategic users.
• Weight: The existing seven satellites of the NavIC, weighed around 1,425 kg and were launched using the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV).
• Features:
  • Application: Can be used for navigation in various sectors like transportation, surveying, disaster management, and defense. 
  • Accuracy: NavIC signals are designed to provide user position accuracy better than 20m and timing accuracy better than 50ns.
  • Frequency bands: These two services are provided in both L5  and S bands.
  • Signals Interoperability: NavIC SPS signals are interoperable with the other global navigation satellite system (GNSS) signals namely GPS,Glonass,Galileo, and BeiDou.
  • Constant speed: Unlike GPS, NavIC uses satellites in high geo-stationery orbit ie. the satellites move at a constant speed relative to Earth, so they are always looking over the same region on Earth.

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