ISRO's GSLV-F18 launched the NVS-03 navigation satellite on 30 October 2026, restoring NavIC to its minimum operational strength of four satellites.

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• GSLV-F18 placed the NVS-03 satellite into a Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit after lifting off from the Second Launch Pad at Sriharikota at 23:51 IST on 30 October 2026.
• The mission was the 20th flight of India's Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle.
• NVS-03 is the third satellite in the second-generation NavIC series, meant to provide continuity of navigation services for the IRNSS series.
• It carries an indigenously developed atomic clock alongside procured atomic clocks, which give navigation signals a precise time reference.
• The satellite adds an L1 signal to the existing L5 and S-band signals, which should make NavIC compatible with more user devices.
• Its coverage extends over the Indian landmass and a region up to 1,500 km beyond India's geopolitical boundary.
• ISRO completed the satellite's first orbit manoeuvre on 31 October 2026 at 16:48 hours.
• ISRO Chairman V Narayanan said the launch restored the NavIC constellation to its minimum operational configuration of four satellites, against seven envisaged for planned regional coverage.
• NavIC had been operating below par because of ageing satellites and atomic clock failures, including the clock failure on the first-generation IRNSS-1A in 2016.
• NVS-01, launched on GSLV-F12 on 29 May 2023, was the first Indian navigation satellite to fly an indigenous atomic clock.
• Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated ISRO scientists on the successful launch.

Tags: NVS03, NavIC, GSLVF18