Thu Jan 30 05:02:24 UTC 2025: ## ISRO Achieves Historic Milestone with Successful Launch of Navigation Satellite
**Sriharikota, January 30, 2025** – The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has achieved a significant milestone with the successful launch of its 100th mission from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota. The launch, which took place at 6:23 AM on Wednesday, marked the first mission of the year and saw the deployment of Navigation with Indian Constellation (NavIC)-02, a second-generation navigation satellite.
The Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV)-F15 rocket, carrying the 1,250 kg NavIC-02, flawlessly completed its three-stage ascent, placing the satellite into its designated geostationary orbit in 19.12 minutes. ISRO Chairman Dr. V. Narayanan, overseeing the mission from the Mission Control Centre, confirmed the successful launch, marking his first mission as chairman.
NavIC-02 is a domestically developed navigation satellite designed to enhance India’s indigenous navigation system, IRNSS. It will improve services for geographical, aeronautical, and maritime navigation, aiding in agriculture, mobile location-based services and more. The satellite features advanced L1, L5, and S-band signal systems, offering high-precision positioning with a 20-meter accuracy and 50 nanoseconds real-time response, covering an area extending up to 1,500 kilometers beyond India’s borders. It is expected to operate for ten years.
Dr. Narayanan also announced that ISRO and NASA’s joint NISAR satellite mission will launch in approximately two months using the GSLV-F16 rocket.
Prime Minister Modi lauded ISRO’s achievement, highlighting the historic nature of the 100th mission, which includes 62 PSLV launches, 17 GSLV launches, 7 LVM3 launches, and 3 SSLV launches. The milestone, achieved after nearly five decades of progress from ISRO’s first launch in 1979, signifies India’s advancement in space technology, transitioning from reliance on foreign technologies to independent development of rockets and engines. Dr. Narayanan expressed confidence that ISRO can achieve another 100 missions within the next five years. This success builds on previous achievements like the Chandrayaan-3 lunar landing and the Aditya-L1 solar mission, further cementing India’s position as a major player in space exploration.
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