The countdown for the launch of ISRO’s GSLV F12/NVS – 01 began at 7.12 this morning. ISRO will be sending the rocket at 10.42 a.m. tomorrow from the second launch pad at Sathish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikota. The geosynchronous satellite launch vehicle mission is designed to deploy the NVS – 01 navigation satellite weighing about 2,232 kilograms.
This is the first of the second-generation satellites envisaged for the Navigation with Indian Constellation series. NVS series of satellites will sustain and augment the NavIC with enhanced features. NavIC offers two services one is the standard position service for civilian users and Restricted service for strategic users. India will join the list of three other countries in the World after this mission. The satellite will be injected into a geosynchronous transfer orbit at around 20 minutes after the launch. Subsequent orbit-raising maneuvers will be used for taking the satellite to the intended orbit. The satellite will also carry an indigenously developed rubidium atomic clock which will be used for gps precise location timing.