Isro begins countdown for launch of NVS-01 navigation satellite

The Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro) has started the countdown for the launch of a navigation satellite on board a GSLV rocket from Sriharikota.

The 27.5-hour countdown for the lift-off commenced at 7.12am on Sunday, Isro sources said, according to a report in the Press Trust of India. The Bengaluru-headquartered space agency has drawn up plans to launch a second generation navigation satellite series which would ensure continuity of NavIC (Navigation with Indian Constellation) services. The satellite, NVS-01, would provide real-time positioning and timing services over India and a region approximately 1,500 km around the mainland, the PTI report adds.

According to a detailed brochure on the mission, this will be the 15th flight of the 51.7 metre tall Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle.

The GSLV will carry the navigation satellite NVS-01 – weighing 2,232 kg – on Monday, 29 May, at 10.42 am from the second launch pad at the Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SHAR), about 130 km from Chennai, the PTI report adds. Nearly 20 minutes after the flight, the rocket is scheduled to deploy the satellite in a geosynchronous transfer orbit (GTO) at an altitude of about 251 km, the space agency said.

NVS-01 is first of the India's second-generation NavIC satellites that accompany enhanced features. According to Isro, the satellite is powered by two solar arrays, which are capable of generating power upto 2.4kW and Lithium-ion battery supporting payload and bus load during eclipse. The satellite will carry navigation and ranging payloads. The NVS-01 carries navigation payloads L1, L5 and S bands and in comparison to the previous one, the second-generation satellite series would also carry an indigeneously developed Rubidium atomic clock, the PTI report adds.

According to the PTI report, some of the applications of the NavIC series include terrestrial, aerial and maritime navigation, precision agriculture, location-based services in mobile devices and marine fisheries, among many others.

Monday's mission is the sixth operational flight of the GSLV with indigenous cryogenic stage. The mission life of NVS-01 is expected to be better than 12 years, Isro said.

The space agency also put out a tweet – with pictures of the GSLV ready for launch – on Sunday detailing where viewers could watch a live stream of the mission launch.

(With inputs from agencies)