GSLV-F18 flies the NavIC satellite NVS-03 from Sriharikota on its twentieth mission

30 October 2026

ISRO flew GSLV-F18 from the Second Launch Pad of the Satish Dhawan Space Centre at Sriharikota late on the night of 30 October, carrying the navigation satellite NVS-03. The flight was the twentieth of the Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle, and the vehicle placed the satellite in a Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit. NVS-03 is the third satellite of the next-generation NVS series, which is replacing the older IRNSS spacecraft in the NavIC constellation. It carries an atomic clock built in India along with procured clocks, so that India no longer depends only on imported timing hardware. NVS-03 also adds the L1 navigation signal to the L5 and S band signals that NavIC already broadcasts, which makes the system easier to use in ordinary civilian receivers. NavIC gives position, navigation and timing services over India and a region stretching about 1,500 km beyond the country's borders.