India’s first space mission of 2025 has encountered a significant propulsion issue, leaving the newly launched NVS-02 navigation satellite stranded in an elliptical transfer orbit instead of reaching its intended geostationary orbit.
The mission was launched on January 29, 2025, aboard the Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV) from Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota. This marked the 100th launch from the spaceport, a historic milestone for the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO).
What Went Wrong?
NVS-02 was supposed to reach geostationary orbit (22,236 miles or 35,786 kilometers above Earth) in a multi-step process:
1️⃣ Launch into low Earth orbit (LEO).
2️⃣ Upper-stage engine ignition to place the satellite in an elliptical transfer orbit.
3️⃣ Final engine firing at apogee (highest point) to circularize the orbit at geostationary altitude.
However, valves in the propulsion system failed to open, preventing the satellite’s engine from firing at the critical moment. As a result, NVS-02 remains in an elliptical orbit, rather than reaching its intended stationary position over India.
ISRO’s Next Steps
Despite the propulsion failure, ISRO confirms that the satellite remains healthy and is now exploring alternative strategies to salvage the mission. Possible solutions include:
✅ Using smaller attitude control thrusters to gradually raise perigee (closest point to Earth) and stabilize the orbit.
✅ Modifying operational plans to enable navigation services from an elliptical orbit instead of a fully geostationary one.
“The satellite systems are healthy, and the satellite is currently in an elliptical orbit,” ISRO stated. “Alternate mission strategies for utilizing the satellite for navigation in an elliptical orbit are being worked out.”
NVS-02: A Key Part of India’s Navigation Network
NVS-02 is the second satellite in the next-generation NavIC constellation, India’s independent satellite navigation system, which provides positioning, navigation, and timing services similar to the U.S. GPS, European Galileo, and Chinese BeiDou systems.
NavIC is designed to serve India and surrounding regions, supporting:
🔹 Civilian applications like mapping, disaster response, and precision agriculture.
🔹 Military applications for secure navigation and surveillance.
The failure of NVS-02’s propulsion system is a setback, but ISRO’s efforts to reconfigure its mission for elliptical orbit operations could still allow the satellite to contribute to India’s growing space-based navigation infrastructure.
Looking Ahead: Lessons for Future Missions
This unexpected anomaly underscores the challenges of spaceflight, even for well-established launch vehicles like the GSLV. While ISRO works to salvage NVS-02, the incident provides valuable lessons for future missions, particularly in propulsion system redundancy and failure mitigation.
As India continues to expand its NavIC constellation, this event highlights the importance of robust contingency planning, ensuring future satellites can successfully reach and maintain their intended orbits. 🚀🔭
