ISRO gears up for navigational satellite launch today

Sriharikota: The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is set to launch the next-generation navigational satellite - NVS-1 - on Monday. The 2,232-kg satellite will fly onboard Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV) from Sriharikota on Monday.

"The launch of the GSLV-F12/NVS-01 mission is scheduled on Monday, May 29 at 10:42 hours IST from the second launch pad at Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota," according to the national space agency. NVS-01 is the first of India’s second-generation NavIC satellites. It is a regional navigation system that is a constellation of seven satellites in certain different orbits. Two solar arrays which could generate power up to 2.4 kW will power the satellite along with a Lithium-ion battery supporting payload and bus load during the eclipse.

The satellite utilises a combination of passive and active thermal management techniques, incorporates a unified bi-propellant propulsion system and features a three-axis body stabilisation using a zero-momentum system equipped with reaction wheels.This mission has an anticipated duration of 12 years and will be accompanied by an indigenously developed Rubidium atomic clock from Space Application Centre, Ahmedabad. ISRO emphasise that this clock is a significant technology possessed by only a few nations. As the 51.7-meter-tall rocket prepares for its night flight, the GSLV will once again deploy the indigenous cryogenic stage. With a lift-off mass of 420 tonnes, this robust rocket is anticipated to reach an impressive speed of 36,568 kg. After approximately 18 minutes of flight, the payload is expected to separate upon reaching space.