ISRO Commences Countdown for GSLV-F18 Launch Carrying NVS-03 Satellite

ISRO commenced the 24-hour countdown for the GSLV-F18 mission carrying the NVS-03 navigation satellite, scheduled to lift off at 11.51 p.m. on Friday from Sriharikota.

The 50-metre-tall, three-stage rocket weighs 420 tonnes and aims to deploy the 2,232 kg satellite into a Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit with a perigee of 170 km and an apogee of 37,023 km.

To prevent the connector failure that affected the NVS-02 mission, ISRO will fly NVS-03 with its pyrotechnic valves already open following clearance in the Mission Readiness Review.