ISRO Achieves Historic 100th Launch from Sriharikota with GSLV-F15

This landmark event underscores Indias growing prowess in space exploration and satellite technology.

It carried the NVS-02 navigation satellite, a critical component of the Navigation with Indian Constellation (NavIC) system. This mission, the first under the leadership of ISRO Chairman V. Narayanan, represents a significant step forward in strengthening India’s regional navigation capabilities.

A Milestone in Space Exploration

The GSLV-F15 mission marked several key achievements:

17th Flight of GSLV: This was the 17th flight of Indias Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV) and the 11th utilizing an indigenous cryogenic stage.

8th Operational Flight: It was the 8th operational mission of the GSLV equipped with an indigenous cryogenic stage, demonstrating ISROs technological advancements.

100th Launch from Sriharikota: The launch was the 100th mission to lift off from the Sriharikota spaceport, cementing the facilitys reputation as a hub for space innovation.

About GSLV-F15 and NVS-02

The GSLV-F15 features a metallic payload fairing with a diameter of 3.4 meters, designed to protect the NVS-02 satellite during ascent. The satellite will be placed into a Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit (GTO), supporting the NavIC system, Indias independent regional navigation satellite system.

NavIC offers two types of services:

Standard Positioning Service (SPS): Accessible to all users, providing a position accuracy of better than 20 meters and timing accuracy better than 40 nanoseconds over the service area.

Restricted Service (RS): An encrypted service for authorized users.

The NavIC system is critical for providing accurate Position, Velocity, and Timing (PVT) services within India and up to 1,500 kilometers beyond its borders, enhancing regional navigation infrastructure and reducing reliance on foreign navigation systems.

Legacy of Excellence

This achievement adds to ISRO’s illustrious timeline of groundbreaking missions, including Chandrayaan-1,Mangalyaan,Chandrayaan-3, and numerous others that have showcased Indias technological ingenuity and ambition in space exploration.