India readies NVS-03 launch as it plans three more NavIC satellites

Space Minister Jitendra Singh informed Parliament that the Indian Regional Navigational Satellite System’s next satellite, NVS-03, is prepared for launch after integrating all corrective actions identified following the NVS-02 failure in 2025. He outlined a sequence that will see NVS-04, NVS-05 and a seventh satellite deployed to establish the full seven-satellite NavIC base layer. The corrective steps have been successfully tested on the CMS-03 satellite and will be applied to the upcoming NavIC units, but Singh did not specify launch timelines.

At present, only IRNSS 1-B, IRNSS 1-L and NVS-01 are capable of delivering navigation services, and the system requires at least four satellites with operational atomic clocks to provide independent positioning, which it currently lacks. The loss of the last atomic clock on IRNSS-1F in March halted NavIC’s standalone capability, making the restoration of the constellation essential for India’s autonomous navigation.