2 hours ago
1
ARTICLE AD BOX
NEW DELHI: India’s determination navigation strategy NaVIC (Navigation with Indian Constellation system), costing upwards of implicit Rs 3,200 crore, is present hanging by a thread arsenic the fig of afloat functional navigation satellites successful abstraction has dropped to 3 satellites.
NavIC is designed to tally efficaciously with a constellation of 7 satellites, though a minimum of 4 satellites is required for close 3D position, navigation, and timing (PNT) services.With Isro failing to motorboat 2 navigation satellites (IRNSS-1H successful 2017 and NVS-02 successful 2025) successful caller years owed to antithetic reasons similar rocket failure, India’s determination strategy is facing a nonaccomplishment arsenic the outer numbers person dipped to 3 — IRNSS-1B, IRNSS-1L, and second-generation NVS-01 — beneath the minimum request of 4 satellites.
A large setback occurred aft the past atomic clock, which is the bosom of a navigation satellite, connected committee navigation outer IRNSS-1F stopped functioning connected March 10, leaving lone 3 satellites of India’s NaVIC constellation successful function.Speaking astatine the DefSpace symposium here, erstwhile IAF main ACM Rakesh Kumar Singh Bhadauria (Retd) said connected Thursday, “NaVIC volition beryllium remembered much due to the fact that of its nonaccomplishment and promises that were not delivered alternatively than anything.
It is precocious clip that NaVIC-type capabilities are redrawn completely”.Former Air Vice Marshal Dhananjay Khot, who is present main consultant, implementation of decadal imaginativeness & strategy, successful abstraction regulator IN-SPACe, besides told TOI during the DefSpace symposium, that NaVIC operating with 3 satellites is simply a large setback for information forces.Indian equipped forces usage the navigation outer strategy for logistics, mapping and operational planning.
Even missiles navigate based connected a country’s navigation system. Relying connected a overseas navigation outer strategy could airs information issues, particularly during wars.India had planned to make its ain navigation strategy erstwhile the US denied GPS information to the state astatine the highest of the Kargil warfare with Pakistan. With the archetypal IRNSS outer motorboat successful 2013, India was capable to person a seven-satellite constellation completed connected April 28, 2016.
However, with nary replacement satellites launched, India’s navigation strategy needs urgent attention.Besides the US’s GPS, Russia operates GLONASS, Europe runs Galileo, and China operates the BeiDou Navigation Satellite System (BDS). These 3 systems, similar GPS, supply planetary sum with constellations of astir 24–35 satellites successful mean Earth orbit. China’s BeiDou has much than 30 operational satellites, portion Europe’s Galileo offers high-precision civilian positioning services worldwide.
