India\u2019s homegrown satellite navigation system, NavIC (Navigation with Indian Constellation), is in serious trouble. The Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro) has confirmed that IRNSS-1F, a satellite launched in March 2016, completed its 10-year design life on March 10 this year, and that the on-board atomic clock had stopped functioning.<\/p>\n
The satellite will continue to orbit and send one-way broadcast messages, but it can no longer help anyone navigate. That one failure has pushed NavIC below the minimum threshold it needs to function as a navigation system.<\/p>\n
Read Full Story<\/p>\n
You need at least four satellites working in tandem to calculate a position on Earth. India now has three.<\/p>\n
WHICH THREE NAVIC SATELLITES REMAIN FUNCTIONAL?<\/p>\n
The three satellites still providing navigation services are IRNSS-1B, launched in April 2014, IRNSS-1L, launched in April 2018, and NVS-01, the first of the second-generation NavIC satellites, launched in May 2023. IRNSS stands for Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System.<\/p>\n
IRNSS-1F’s final atomic clock stopped working on March 13, 2026. NavIC needs four satellites to operate, but only three remain active now. (AI-generated image)\n<\/p>\n
Of these, IRNSS-1B has already crossed its 10-year design life and is running on borrowed time. NVS-01 is the youngest and healthiest of the three, but one satellite cannot carry a navigation system on its own.<\/p>\n
WHAT IS AN ATOMIC CLOCK AND WHY DOES IT MATTER?<\/p>\n
An atomic clock is the beating heart of any navigation satellite. It measures time by tracking the natural vibrations of atoms with extraordinary precision. When a signal travels from a satellite to your phone, the clock calculates exactly how long that journey took.<\/p>\n
A billionth of a second\u2019s error can push your calculated position off by hundreds of metres. Without a working clock, a navigation satellite is useless.<\/p>\n
NVS-01, launched in May 2023, was the first NavIC satellite to carry an indigenous rubidium atomic clock, ending India’s total dependence on imported timekeeping hardware for its navigation constellation. (Photo: Isro)\n<\/p>\n
For the first time in the NavIC programme, an indigenous atomic clock was flown aboard NVS-01 (Navigation Satellite 1), the first of the second-generation satellites launched in May 2023.<\/p>\n
Earlier satellites relied on imported clocks, and that dependence proved to be a persistent weak point.<\/p>\n
HOW DID NAVIC END UP IN THIS MESS?<\/p>\n
As of July 2025, of the 11 NavIC satellites put into orbit, four were providing Position, Navigation and Timing (PNT) services, four were being used only for one-way message broadcast after losing navigation capability, one was decommissioned after end-of-life, and two could not reach their intended orbits.<\/p>\n
India’s NavIC is now below the minimum satellite strength needed for navigation after IRNSS-1F lost its last atomic clock on March 13, 2026. (Photo: Isro)\n<\/p>\n
The IRNSS-1F failure on March 13, 2026 has now reduced the PNT count from four to three.<\/p>\n
NavIC is designed with a constellation of seven satellites. The system is a long way from that target.<\/p>\n
WHAT HAPPENED TO THE REPLACEMENT SATELLITE NVS-02?<\/p>\n
NVS-02 launched in January 2025 but never made it to its intended orbit. A tiny electrical fault stopped its engine from firing at exactly the wrong moment, leaving the satellite stranded. It cannot provide any navigation services, and remains out of action.<\/p>\n
NVS-02, launched in January 2025, is stranded in an elliptical orbit due to a technical anomaly, leaving its orbit-raising engine unable to fire. (Photo: Isro)\n<\/p>\n
Isro implemented corrective actions in subsequent missions. The fixes were applied to the CMS-03 spacecraft launched in November 2025, placing the satellite in its intended orbit.<\/p>\n
WHEN WILL NAVIC BE BACK ON ITS FEET?<\/p>\n
In July 2025, Union Minister of State for Science and Technology and Earth Sciences Dr Jitendra Singh told the Lok Sabha in a written reply that NVS-03 would launch by the end of 2025, with NVS-04 to follow after six months. NVS-03 has not launched yet, meaning the schedule has slipped.<\/p>\n
The new NVS satellites also bring a welcome upgrade. They support the L1 band, which means future smartphones could work with NavIC without needing extra hardware, just a software update.<\/p>\n
The NVS-02 satellite was launched atop a GSLV rocket, as part of the GSLV-F15 mission. (Photo: Isro)\n<\/p>\n
On the ground, around 8,700 trains already use NavIC for real-time tracking, and the target is 12,000. The system also supports disaster alerts, marine navigation, and vehicle tracking.<\/p>\n
With only three satellites left, all of this is now at risk. The clock is ticking in more ways than one.<\/p>\n
– Ends<\/p>\n
Published By: <\/p>\n
Radifah Kabir<\/p>\n
Published On: <\/p>\n
Mar 15, 2026 14:22 IST<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"India\u2019s homegrown satellite navigation system, NavIC (Navigation with Indian Constellation), is in serious trouble. The Indian Space Research…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":477678,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[23],"tags":[169993,169989,169977,169983,169974,169992,169986,169978,169972,169975,169995,169990,169988,170000,169976,169999,169996,169987,169985,170001,169973,169979,169994,169984,169998,169980,169981,169982,169997,90,416,56,54,55,169991],"class_list":{"0":"post-477677","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-space","8":"tag-how-many-navic-satellites","9":"tag-india-gps-alternative","10":"tag-india-gps-satellite","11":"tag-india-navigation-system","12":"tag-irnss-1f-atomic-clock","13":"tag-is-navic-working","14":"tag-isro-2026","15":"tag-isro-navigation-satellite","16":"tag-navic","17":"tag-navic-2026","18":"tag-navic-applications","19":"tag-navic-constellation-isro","20":"tag-navic-crisis-india","21":"tag-navic-disaster-management","22":"tag-navic-down","23":"tag-navic-fishermen","24":"tag-navic-l1-band-smartphone","25":"tag-navic-operational-status","26":"tag-navic-pnt-services","27":"tag-navic-replacement-satellite-2026","28":"tag-navic-satellite-failure","29":"tag-navic-three-satellites","30":"tag-navic-train-tracking","31":"tag-navic-vs-gps","32":"tag-nvs-series-isro","33":"tag-nvs-01","34":"tag-nvs-02-orbit-failure","35":"tag-nvs-03-launch","36":"tag-rubidium-atomic-clock-satellite-india","37":"tag-science","38":"tag-space","39":"tag-uk","40":"tag-united-kingdom","41":"tag-unitedkingdom","42":"tag-what-is-navic"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/477677","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=477677"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/477677\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/477678"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=477677"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=477677"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=477677"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}