India’s ambitious regional satellite navigation system, NavIC (Navigation with Indian Constellation), is currently facing a significant existential challenge. Once heralded as a vital tool for achieving strategic autonomy in satellite-based positioning, navigation, and timing (PNT) services, NavIC today finds itself in precarious orbit—literally and figuratively.
Developed by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), the NavIC constellation was designed to serve India and up to 1,500 km beyond its borders with precise geo-positioning capabilities. But recent government data and multiple reports—including from the Indian Defence Research Wing—suggest that only four of NavIC’s 11 satellites are currently functional. The rest are either failing or have already ceased operations, drastically undermining the system’s reliability.
Aging Satellites and Mounting Technical Failures
Among the surviving satellites:
- IRNSS-1B has exceeded its planned 10-year lifespan and could fail imminently.
- IRNSS-1F is similarly nearing the end of its service life, plagued by partial hardware failures.
- IRNSS-1I, launched in 2018, remains operational but may not survive till its anticipated 2028 retirement.
The newest addition, NVS-01, launched in May 2023, is functional and offers a flicker of hope. However, that optimism was short-lived. NVS-02, which was observed in January 2025, failed to achieve its designated geostationary orbit due to a propulsion technique breakdown. As a result, it remains stranded in a transfer orbit, incapable of serving its navigation assignments.
Clock Crisis: The Swiss Achilles’ Heel
Most of the failure within NavIC’s first-generation fleet traces back to a devastating flaw in its atomic clock system. Sourced from Swiss firm SpectraTime, these clocks—which are critical for accurate navigation—have suffered widespread malfunction:
- Full failures were reported in satellites IRNSS-1A, 1C, 1D, 1E, and 1G.
- Only 1B, 1F, and 1I retained working clocks, though two are now on the verge of retirement.
This technical fragility triggered ISRO’s move to deploy a second-generation constellation known as the NVS series, intended to fix past vulnerabilities and sustain operations long-term.
Launch Failures and Setbacks in 2025
The troubles didn’t stop at NVS-02’s orbit failure. In a double blow to India’s space program, ISRO also suffered a launch vehicle mishap in the PSLV-C61 mission, which resulted in the destruction of the EOS-09 Earth observation satellite. Both setbacks occurred within seven months, underscoring urgent challenges in quality assurance and mission readiness.
According to ISRO’s February 2 statement, the oxidizer valves onboard NVS-02 malfunctioned, preventing the satellite from firing its thrusters. Although the solar panels deployed successfully and other systems remain intact, the agency conceded that propulsion recovery is unlikely. As a result, alternative ways to utilize NVS-02 from its elliptical orbit are under consideration—although its low perigee may soon trigger reentry due to high atmospheric drag.
A Narrow Window for Redemption
NVS-02 was intended to replace IRNSS-1E at 111.75° east in geostationary orbit, joining NVS-01 in securing India’s navigation autonomy. The satellite, built on ISRO’s I-2K bus, weighs 2,250 kilograms and was launched on a GSLV Mark 2 rocket from Satish Dhawan Space Centre.
However, current orbital data from the U.S. military’s Space Track catalog indicates that NVS-02 remains in a dangerously low orbit, with little hope of rescue.
The government has pledged to launch three satellites—NVS-03, NVS-04, and NVS-05—by the end of 2026. Whether ISRO can overcome technical hurdles and restore full functionality to NavIC remains a pressing question for both India’s civilian infrastructure and its defense capabilities.
NaVIC is crucial for bolstering India’s long-term security and economic development efforts, encompassing applications like power grid synchronization, public transport safety, real-time train tracking systems, fisherman protection, geofencing, missile guidance, and others. ISRO aims to broaden the civilian uses of NaVIC, such as navigation for unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), Aadhaar registration, geodetic networks, distribution of Indian Standard Time, emergency alert systems, and GNSS-based electronic toll collection systems.
NaVIC signals are intended to deliver user position accuracy within 20 meters and timing accuracy within 50 nanoseconds. Crucially, the SPS signals from NaVIC are compatible with signals from other global navigation satellite systems, including GPS (USA), Glonass (Russia), Galileo (Europe), and BeiDou (China).
As ISRO continues to improve its navigation capabilities, the NaVIC system is expected to be vital across various sectors, strengthening India’s technological and strategic position
