‘Loose connection’ prevented NVS-02 satellite from landing in intended orbit, says panel

After astir a year’s delay, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) made nationalist the study of a committee constituted to analyse wherefore the NVS-02 satellite, which was launched aboard a GSLV rocket connected January 29 past year, couldn’t beryllium placed successful its intended orbit.

The apex committee, arsenic it is called, concluded that the main crushed for what happened was that the awesome meant to activate a cardinal valve successful the engine’s oxidiser enactment ne'er reached it. This valve is important for firing the motor to rise the spacecraft’s orbit.

The committee said the astir apt mentation was that astatine slightest 1 transportation successful the electrical connector — successful some the superior and backup lines — came escaped oregon failed, preventing the awesome from getting through.

NVS-02, the 2nd spacecraft successful the NVS series, was placed successfully into an ‘elliptical transfer’ orbit connected January 29, 2025 astatine 00:53 UT but its consequent transportation to a circular orbit was unsuccessful. This was besides a peculiar juncture being the 100th motorboat from the Sriharikota launchpad. The spacecraft was separated from the motorboat conveyance (GSLVF15) pursuing which a bid of autonomous activities connected the outer were carried out, including deploying the star sheet and stabilising the predisposition for powerfulness generation.

The NVS-02 was to beryllium the 2nd outer successful the NVS series, and portion of India’s Navigation with Indian Constellation (NavIC).

Also Read | ISRO successfully launches NVS-02 satellite; creates past with the 100th motorboat from Sriharikota

‘Performed satisfactorily’

The committee, an ISRO connection said, gave a acceptable of recommendations to “enhance” the redundancy and reliability of pyro strategy operations for aboriginal missions. These were “successfully implemented successful CMS-03 spacecraft launched connected November 2, 2025 by LVM-3 M5, and the pyro systems performed satisfactorily placing the outer successful the intended orbit.”

The CMS-03, oregon GSAT-7R, is an indigenously designed and developed satellite, weighing astir 4,400 kg — India’s heaviest connection outer — and is captious to the Navy’s space-based communications and maritime domain awareness.

The Hindu reported this week that a committee that includes K. Vijayraghavan, erstwhile Principal Scientific Adviser, and S. Somanath, erstwhile Chairman, ISRO, volition probe “systemic issues” underlying the successive failures of ISRO’s Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV).