• Latest
Race against time

Race against time

August 29, 2025
kl rahul

Rahul’s unbeaten ton, Gill’s fifty give India lead over Windies

October 3, 2025
INS Sahyadri arrives at Malaysia's Kemaman Port

INS Sahyadri arrives at Malaysia’s Kemaman Port

October 3, 2025
growth

IT services to see recovery in FY27

October 3, 2025
First automobile freight train arrives in Kashmir

First automobile freight train arrives in Kashmir

October 3, 2025
A banyan tree

A banyan tree

October 3, 2025
Trump

Turn the corner

October 3, 2025
Securing minerals of tomorrow

Securing minerals of tomorrow

October 3, 2025
Atmanirbhar Bharat needs Swadeshi 2.0

Atmanirbhar Bharat needs Swadeshi 2.0

October 3, 2025
Policy steps to ensure the future of internet

Policy steps to ensure the future of internet

October 3, 2025
India on road to building a robust chip ecosystem

India on road to building a robust chip ecosystem

October 3, 2025
revolution

A REVOLUTION extraordinaire

October 3, 2025
Hundred years of service to the nation

Hundred years of service to the nation

October 3, 2025
Blitzindiamedia
Contact
  • Blitz Highlights
    • Special
    • Spotlight
    • Insight
    • Education
    • Health
    • Sports
    • Entertainment
  • Opinion
  • Legal
  • Perspective
  • Nation
    • East
    • West
    • North
    • South
  • Business & Economy
  • World
  • Hindi Edition
  • International Editions
    • US (New York)
    • UK (London)
    • Middle East (Dubai)
    • Tanzania (Africa)
  • Blitz India Business
No Result
View All Result
  • Blitz Highlights
    • Special
    • Spotlight
    • Insight
    • Education
    • Health
    • Sports
    • Entertainment
  • Opinion
  • Legal
  • Perspective
  • Nation
    • East
    • West
    • North
    • South
  • Business & Economy
  • World
  • Hindi Edition
  • International Editions
    • US (New York)
    • UK (London)
    • Middle East (Dubai)
    • Tanzania (Africa)
  • Blitz India Business
No Result
View All Result
World's first weekly chronicle of development news
No Result
View All Result

Race against time

ISRO banks on indigenous atomic clocks to rescue ‘desi GPS’ NavIC

by Blitz India Media
August 29, 2025
in Opinion
Race against time
Blitz Bureau

NEW DELHI: INDIA’S homegrown satellite navigation system, NavIC, is facing a crucial turning point. A series of atomic clock failures aboard its firstgeneration satellites and the recent setback with NVS-02 have left the constellation stretched thin. To safeguard services and ensure strategic autonomy, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is now betting on its own indigenously designed rubidium clocks – a technological leap that could end years of dependence on foreign suppliers.

The clock crisis

High-precision atomic clocks are the heart of every navigation satellite, providing the timing accuracy that allows receivers on the ground to pinpoint their location. Each NavIC satellite originally carried three imported rubidium clocks built by Swiss firm SpectraTime. But starting in 2016, the constellation began to falter. IRNSS-1A lost all three of its clocks, rendering the satellite unusable. Over the next two years, more anomalies surfaced – nearly nine out of 24 clocks had failed by 2018. ISRO admitted procurement and design vulnerabilities, echoing similar troubles faced by Europe’s Galileo programme.

YOU MAY ALSO LIKE

Turn the corner

Securing minerals of tomorrow

The failures meant NavIC had fewer healthy satellites to sustain reliable service, forcing ISRO into urgent replacements. An attempted launch of IRNSS-1H in 2017 failed when its fairing did not separate, adding to the crisis. IRNSS-1I finally restored some capacity in 2018, but the clock issue cast a long shadow.

For the first time, India’s own navigation satellite operated on an Indian-built time standard. In-orbit tests confirmed stable performance
Indigenous breakthrough

Learning from these setbacks, ISRO’s Space Applications Centre developed the Indian Rubidium Atomic Frequency Standard (iRAFS). After years of qualification, the indigenous clocks were successfully flown aboard NVS01, launched in May 2023. For the first time, India’s own navigation satellite operated on an Indian-built time standard. In-orbit tests confirmed stable performance, and on July 4, 2023, NavIC’s much-awaited L1 civilian service was declared operational – broadening compatibility with smartphones and commercial devices.

ISRO officials say these clocks match international benchmarks, with precision in the order of 10- ¹³ to 10- ¹⁴ and drift of just fractions of a nanosecond per day. The development is widely hailed as a major step towards technological self-reliance.

Fresh setbacks

But progress remains fragile. In January this year, ISRO launched NVS-02, the second second-generation NavIC satellite. Within hours, a propulsion system valve malfunction prevented the main engine from firing. The satellite was stranded in transfer orbit and declared non-functional as a navigation asset.

That left NavIC with only four fully operational satellites—IRNSS-1B, IRNSS-1F, IRNSS-1I and NVS-01— providing Position, Navigation and Timing (PNT) services. Another four older satellites are used only for short messaging. One has been decommissioned. With a minimum of seven satellites required for robust coverage, the system today operates with very little redundancy.

The Government has confirmed that NVS-03 will be launched by the end of 2025, followed by NVS-04 and NVS05 at roughly six-month intervals. All will carry multiple indigenous rubidium clocks, along with extended design life and the new civilian L1 signal.

Strategic mission

ISRO has also steered NavIC System Time to within tens of nanoseconds of UTC, synchronised with the National Physical Laboratory, strengthening its reliability for civilian and military users alike.

The mission is not just technological, it is strategic. NavIC provides India with an independent fallback in case of denied access to GPS or other global constellations during conflicts. Its restricted coverage (about 1,500 km around India) makes it less global than GPS or Galileo, but highly relevant for defence, aviation, maritime, disaster management, and telecom applications.

Analysts warn that with only four healthy navigation satellites, India cannot afford further delays. A single additional failure could compromise geometry and accuracy of signals, undercutting confidence in NavIC-enabled services. The stakes are high: international smartphone makers, including Apple and Qualcomm-powered Android devices, are already enabling NavIC in select handsets. Wider adoption hinges on uninterrupted coverage.

Previous Post

Vice-Presidency A tarnished throne

Next Post

Tangible impact

Related Posts

Trump
Opinion

Turn the corner

October 3, 2025
Securing minerals of tomorrow
Opinion

Securing minerals of tomorrow

October 3, 2025
modi
Opinion

A timely call

September 26, 2025
rail
Opinion

A rail renaissance

September 26, 2025
Growth as healer
Opinion

Growth as healer

September 19, 2025
ASIAN-UNION
Opinion

Envisioning an ASIAN UNION

September 19, 2025

Recent News

kl rahul

Rahul’s unbeaten ton, Gill’s fifty give India lead over Windies

October 3, 2025
INS Sahyadri arrives at Malaysia's Kemaman Port

INS Sahyadri arrives at Malaysia’s Kemaman Port

October 3, 2025
growth

IT services to see recovery in FY27

October 3, 2025
First automobile freight train arrives in Kashmir

First automobile freight train arrives in Kashmir

October 3, 2025
A banyan tree

A banyan tree

October 3, 2025
Trump

Turn the corner

October 3, 2025
Securing minerals of tomorrow

Securing minerals of tomorrow

October 3, 2025
Atmanirbhar Bharat needs Swadeshi 2.0

Atmanirbhar Bharat needs Swadeshi 2.0

October 3, 2025
Policy steps to ensure the future of internet

Policy steps to ensure the future of internet

October 3, 2025
India on road to building a robust chip ecosystem

India on road to building a robust chip ecosystem

October 3, 2025
revolution

A REVOLUTION extraordinaire

October 3, 2025
Hundred years of service to the nation

Hundred years of service to the nation

October 3, 2025

Blitz Highlights

  • Special
  • Spotlight
  • Insight
  • Entertainment
  • Health
  • Sports

International Editions

  • US (New York)
  • UK (London)
  • Middle East (Dubai)
  • Tanzania (Africa)

Nation

  • East
  • West
  • South
  • North
  • Hindi Edition

E-paper

  • India
  • Hindi E-paper
  • Dubai E-Paper
  • USA E-Paper
  • UK-Epaper
  • Tanzania E-paper

Useful Links

  • About us
  • Contact
  • Team
  • Privacy Policy
  • Sitemap

©2024 Blitz India Media -Building A New Nation

    No Result
    View All Result
    • Blitz Highlights
      • Special
      • Spotlight
      • Insight
      • Education
      • Sports
      • Health
      • Entertainment
    • Opinion
    • Legal
    • Perspective
    • Nation
      • East
      • West
      • North
      • South
    • Business & Economy
    • World
    • Hindi Edition
    • International Editions
      • US (New York)
      • UK (London)
      • Middle East (Dubai)
      • Tanzania (Africa)
    • Download
    • Blitz India Business

    © 2025 Blitz India Media -BlitzIndia Building A New Nation