NEW DELHI: With Isro successfully launching navigation satellite NVS-03, which carries an indigenously manufactured atomic clock, on Friday night from Sriharikota, PM Narendra Modi on Saturday called the GSLV-F18 mission “an important step in strengthening NavIC, our indigenous satellite navigation system”.Lauding Isro and its scientists, Modi said the “dedication and ingenuity of our space scientists continue to make our nation proud”. “Equipped with enhanced capabilities, NVS-03 will further our pursuit of self-reliance in critical technologies and support navigation services that benefit our people,” he further said on X on Saturday.Space minister Jitendra Singh said that “this remarkable achievement reflects India’s growing prowess in space technology and our unwavering commitment to strengthening sovereign indigenous navigation capabilities”.The success of the NVS-03 satellite mission will not only get India’s navigation system up and running again but also give a big boost to strategic forces as they have until now been dependent on foreign navigation systems like American GPS and Russian GLONASS for weapon and missile navigation.The advanced satellite has an indigenously developed atomic clock, which is the most accurate timekeeping device in the world. India has mastered this sophisticated technology and the desi atomic clock is now ticking in NVS-03 satellite in space.NavIC was until now not being used by the armed forces for the purposes of missile navigation, precise positioning and coordination of warships at sea, and indigenous navigation support for troop movement and combat aircraft. This is because four operational satellites were required for a standalone GPS-style position tracking system to work. The strategic forces were, therefore, dependent on foreign navigation systems. But the successful launch of NVS-03 has changed everything. It will make the NavIC constellation operational not only for strategic use but also for civilian purposes across India and up to 1,500 km (930 miles) beyond the country’s geographical borders.Indian security forces need an operational NavIC to maintain strategic autonomy and secure tactical advantage without relying on foreign-controlled networks. The four-satellite constellation will ensure secure, uncompromised communication, mobility and targeting data. Modern military hardware such as ballistic missiles and precision-guided munitions require highly accurate Position, Navigation and Timing (PNT) signals to function effectively.Learning from past mistakes, Isro made an important change in the satellite system to make the launch successful. Isro chairman V Narayanan on Saturday revealed that in order to ensure mission reliability and bypass previous technical hurdles, the NVS-03 satellite was operated with “three pyro valves open”.Addressing the media at Sriharikota soon after the launch, Narayanan said that this bold technical decision was validated after rigorous vibration and shock testing by a national-level committee chaired by former Isro chief Kiran Kumar.
Pyro valves are crucial in spacecraft propulsion. However, the NVS-02 satellite launched in 2025, the second spacecraft in the NVS series, was a failure due to a pryo valve-related problem. A high-level panel, after thorough analysis of the 2025 satellite failure, concluded that “the drive signal did not reach the pyro valve of the oxidiser line of the engine meant for orbit raising”.The Isro chief also informed that with four satellites, including NVS-01 now active in India’s navigation satellite system, Isro plans to launch NVS-04 in five months, and NVS-05 in 10 months to further bolster the navigation satellite constellation.