India sends navigation satellite into orbit on ISRO rocket in landmark launch

BENGALURU - India successfully launched into orbit on Wednesday (Jan 29) a new navigation satellite aboard a home-grown rocket, strengthening its independent satellite positioning system at a time when space-based technologies are becoming increasingly critical.

The NVS-02 satellite lifted off from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota about 6:23 am IST (8:53 am Singapore Time) aboard the GSLV-F15 rocket, marking the latest step in India's efforts to expand its Navigation with Indian Constellation (NavIC) system.

Designed to provide positioning services over India and surrounding regions, NavIC has been positioned by the country as India's answer to the US Global Positioning System (GPS), China's BeiDou, the European Galileo, and Russia's GLONASS.

The launch, ISRO's 100th, comes as competition in space intensifies, with countries racing to expand satellite networks that power everything from defence operations to smartphone navigation and financial transactions.

Jitendra Singh, India's minister of Science and Technology said, "It's a privilege to be associated with the Department of Space at the historic moment of this record feat."

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In 2024, the United States led with 145 space launches, driven largely by SpaceX, while China followed with 68, according to industry data. India, historically a smaller player, is increasing its launch cadence, with ISRO planning 30 missions by March 2025.