India now has four navigation satellites, says ISRO chief

Sriharikota: The GSLV-F18 mission successfully deployed the NVS-03 navigation satellite into its intended orbit, prompting ISRO Chairman V Narayanan to express satisfaction with the mission’s precise outcome as he announced plans for five more launches, including the uncrewed ‘Gaganyaan G’ mission, during the current financial year.

Speaking to IANS after the successful deployment of NVS-03, Narayanan said, “For enhanced PNT (Positioning, Navigation and Timing) services, a minimum of four satellites are required, and with today’s launch, we now have four satellites in orbit.

“However, to ensure uninterrupted services and highly accurate positioning, we need a constellation of seven satellites in orbit. Two more satellites are in the final stages of preparation, while approval for another satellite is in process. With this, India will join a select group of nations that possess their own navigation satellite constellation.”

The ISRO chief also outlined the agency’s upcoming missions for the current financial year, including the much-anticipated Gaganyaan programme.

He said, “Our target is to carry out five more launches during this financial year, including the uncrewed ‘Gaganyaan G’ mission. In addition, we plan to launch at least two PSLV missions and two Small Satellite Launch Vehicles (SSLVs). We are also planning one private-sector launch. Overall, we are looking at six launches, but completing at least five missions remains our primary objective.”

Highlighting the significance of the human spaceflight programme, Narayanan said, “‘Gaganyaan’ is a highly prestigious, technologically intensive and important programme. Its objective is to send Indian astronauts, or Gaganyatris, into space using an indigenous launch vehicle. So far, we have completed more than 8,000 tests. Before sending humans into space, we must successfully execute three missions without any crew on board.”

Emphasising that astronaut safety remains ISRO’s top priority, he said, “The safety of our Gaganyatris is of utmost importance. Therefore, our current focus is on the uncrewed missions first. The Director of LPS and the team have developed several critical systems, while multiple simulation tests are being conducted under the leadership of the Director of URC. The teams at IPRC and BSSE have prepared the entire launch vehicle.”

He added, “The LPS team has developed several systems, and a number of simulation tests are underway under the guidance of the URC Director. Teams at IPRC and BSSE have completed the launch vehicle and are also contributing to the software development for the service module and crew module. The programme is progressing very well. Under the guidance of the Prime Minister of India, we are confident of achieving this milestone successfully in the near future.”