Why in news? The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) successfully placed NVS-01, a second-generation navigation satellite, from Satish Dhawan Space Centre, SHAR in Sriharikota.

Highlights:

• The national space agency is expanding its regional satellite navigation system – NavIC – with the addition of more powerful and reliable navigation satellites.
• The first satellite in the new series was launched using a GSLV-F12 rocket.
• These satellites are built with a more operational life of 12 years and incorporate L1 band signals additionally.
• The first series, the IRNSS satellites, was launched between July 2013 and April 2018. The first series consisted of nine satellites, numbered IRNSS-1A to IRNSS-1I.

About NVS-01

• For the first time, an indigenous atomic clock was flown in NVS-01.
• The launch vehicle standing 51.7 metres tall with a mass of 420 tonnes has lifted-off majestically from the second launch pad carrying 2,232 kg payload.
• The satellite was precisely injected into Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit in about 19 minutes.
• The NVS series is meant to “supplement and augment” the first series of satellites, wherein some will replace the already existing satellites in their functioning.

The need for new satellites:

• The NavIC uses seven satellites to provide real-time positioning and timing services in India and an area extending up to 1,500 km from the country’s borders. However, several satellites that were launched between 2013-2018 have become defunct, thereby hampering its operational capabilities.
• According to ISRO, the second-generation navigation satellites will not only ensure continuity of legacy NavIC services, but also provide new service in L1 band.
• The L1 navigation band is popular for providing PNT (Position, Navigation and Timing) services for civilian users and for interoperability with other Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) such as GPS (US), Glonass (Russia), Galileo (EU) and BeiDou (China).

Importance:

• Equipping new satellites with L1 band was crucial for penetration into the civilian sector easily NavIC, also known as the Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System (IRNSS), helps in providing information on accurate real-time positioning and timing. Its main objective is to help in real-time regional navigation across the country for both civilian and military purposes.