The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) on Wednesday, January 29, set a news milestone by successfully placing a second-generation navigation satellite in orbit. The space agency used a Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV) in its 100th rocket launch from Sriharikota.
ISRO, in an X post, said, "Mission Success! The GSLV-F15/NVS-02 mission has been successfully accomplished. India reaches new heights in space navigation!"
A GSLV rocket carrying navigation satellite NVS-02 lifted off from this spaceport on Wednesday, marking ISRO's 100th mission. The mission was also the first for the space agency's Chairman, V Narayanan, who assumed office recently. It is ISRO's maiden venture this year.
GSLV-F15 Launch Video
GSLV-F15/NVS-02 Mission Has Been Successfully Accomplished
As the 27.30-hour countdown concluded, the 50.9-metre tall rocket, emanating thick fumes on its tail, lifted off majestically from the second launch pad here at a prefixed time of 6.23 am on Wednesday. The Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV-F15) follows the GSLV-F12 mission which successfully carried navigation satellite NVS-01, the first of the second generation satellites on May 29, 2023.
The key applications of the satellite would be terrestrial, aerial and maritime navigation, precision agriculture, fleet management, location-based services in mobile devices, orbit determination for satellites, Internet-of-Things (IoT) based applications, and emergency and timing services, ISRO said.