ISRO’s 100th Launch from Sriharikota

Syllabus: GS3/Science and Technology

Context

  • The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) launched its historic 100th launch from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota.

About

  • GSLV F15 carried the NVS-02 navigation satellite placing it into a Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit.
    • The NVS-02 is the second satellite in the NVS series, and part of India’s Navigation with Indian Constellation (NavIC).
    • It is designed to provide accurate positioning services across India.
  • GSLV-F15 is the 17th flight of India’s Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV) and 11th flight with Indigenous Cryo stage.
  • Over these 100 launches ISRO has lifted 548 satellites to orbit.
Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit
– The GTO allows satellites to be positioned into geostationary orbits, where they can maintain a fixed position relative to the Earth’s surface. 
– This is crucial for communication and weather satellites that need to monitor specific areas continuously.

NVS Series

  • These are five second-generation NavIC satellitesNVS-01 to NVS-05 and are planned to enhance the existing constellation. 
    • These satellites incorporate L1 band communication, which broadens NavIC’s compatibility and usability for diverse applications. 
  • NVS-01, the first of the second-generation satellites, was launched in 2023. 
    • For the first time, an indigenous atomic clock was flown in NVS-01.
  • NVS-02 will help improve NavIC’s services, which are used for navigation, precision agriculture, emergency services, fleet management, and even mobile device location services.
    • It also has a precise atomic clock called the Rubidium Atomic Frequency Standard (RAFS) for accurate timekeeping.

NavIC

  • It is a regional navigation satellite system established by Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). 
  • NavIC was erstwhile known as Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System (IRNSS).
  • NavIC is designed with a constellation of 7 satellites and a network of ground stations operating 24 x 7.
    • Three satellites of the constellation are placed in geostationary orbit and four satellites are placed in inclined geosynchronous orbit.
regional navigation satellite system
  • The ground network consists of a control centre, precise timing facility, range and integrity monitoring stations, two-way ranging stations, etc.
  • NavIC offers two services: Standard Position Service (SPS) for civilian users and Restricted Service (RS) for strategic users. 
    • It provides location accuracy better than 20 meters and timing accuracy better than 40 nanoseconds across the core service area. 
  • The NavIC coverage area includes India and a region up to 1,500 kmbeyond the Indian boundary.
    • NavIC SPS signals are interoperable with the other global navigation satellite system (GNSS) signals namely GPS, Glonass, Galileo and BeiDou.

Significance

  • The first batch of IRNSS satellites launched in the previous decades has been successful in establishing the Personal Navigation Device (PND) services in the country. 
  • The NVS series is the second generation of these satellites that are progressively being deployed to further strengthen the PND ecosystem in the nation.
  • NVS supports various applications, including strategic uses, vessel tracking, time synchronization, train tracking, and life safety alerts.

Source: TH

 

Other News of the Day

Syllabus: GS1/ Social Issue In News The Supreme Court passed directions banning manual scavenging and manual sewer cleaning in six metropolitan cities in a writ petition seeking the eradication of manual scavenging in India. What is Manual Scavenging? Manual scavenging refers to the practice of manually cleaning, carrying, and disposing of human excreta from dry...
Read More

Syllabus: GS3/ Economy In News The Government of India has introduced the Mutual Credit Guarantee Scheme for MSMEs (MCGS-MSME), aiming to ease credit constraints and propel growth in the manufacturing sector. About The Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprise (MSME) sector forms the backbone of the Indian economy, contributing significantly to employment, innovation, and economic growth. ...
Read More

Syllabus: GS3/Economy Context The Union Cabinet has approved the launch of the National Critical Mineral Mission (NCMM) with an expenditure of Rs.16,300 crore. About Aim: To create a fast track regulatory approval process for critical mineral mining projects. The NCMM will encompass all stages of the value chain, including mineral exploration, mining, beneficiation, processing, and...
Read More

Syllabus: GS2/Government Policy and Intervention; GS3/Energy Context Recently, the Union Minister for New and Renewable Energy announced that the PM Surya Ghar scheme has achieved a milestone with 8.5 lakh households (about 8.5%) installing rooftop solar connections. About the PM Surya Ghar: Muft Bijli Yojana About: It is a centrally sponsored scheme aimed at providing...
Read More

Syllabus :GS3/Science and Technology In News The Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak (EAST) reactor in China maintained plasma in a steady state for over 1,000 seconds (17 minutes), setting a new record in fusion research. About Nuclear Fusion Fusion is the process where two light atomic nuclei combine to form a heavier nucleus, releasing massive energy....
Read More

Mundaka Upanishad  Syllabus: GS1/Ancient History Context The third section of the Mundaka Upanishad is important because the phrase “Satyameva Jayate”, India’s national motto, occurs in verse 6. About It is one of the ten principle Upanishads on which Sri Shankaracharya wrote commentary and is a part of the Atharvaveda.  The name Mundaka literally means ‘head’...
Read More