India launches navigation satellite into orbit on nation's 1st mission of 2025

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It was the 100th launch from India's Satish Dhawan Space Centre.

a large white rocket launches into a dark night sky
An Indian GLSV rocket launches the NVS-02 navigation satellite to orbit on Jan. 28, 2025. (Image credit: ISRO)

India just launched its first mission of 2025.

The Indian Space Research Organisation's (ISRO) Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV) lifted off from Satish Dhawan Space Centre on schedule today at 7:53 p.m. EST (0053 GMT and 6:23 a.m. local time on Jan. 29).

It was the 100th launch overall from the storied spaceport, which lies on the barrier island Sriharikota, off India's southeastern coast. The first orbital liftoff from the site occurred in August 1979, according to The Hindu.

closeup of a rocket's base, showing its engines igniting on the ground during a nighttime launch

The GSLV's first-stage engines light up, kicking off the launch of the NVS-02 satellite. (Image credit: ISRO)

The three-stage, 167-foot-tall (50.9 meters) GSLV succeeded in its mission, delivering a satellite called NVS-02 to geostationary transfer orbit about 19 minutes after liftoff.

NVS-02 is the second of five planned next-gen spacecraft in the Navigation with Indian Constellation. NavIC "is India’s independent regional navigation satellite system designed to provide accurate Position, Velocity and Timing (PVT) service to users in India as well as the region extending about 1500 km [930 miles] beyond the Indian landmass, which is its primary service area," ISRO officials wrote in a mission description.

Related: Facts about ISRO, the Indian Space Research Organisation

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India started assembling NavIC about a decade ago and launched the first NVS satellite in May 2023, also aboard a GSLV rocket. The five spacecraft in this new series "are envisaged to augment [the] NavIC base layer constellation with enhanced features for ensuring continuity of services," ISRO officials wrote.

Tonight's launch was the first of the year for India. The nation launched five space missions in 2024, including the historic SpaDeX satellite-docking demonstration on Dec. 30.

Editor's note: This story was updated at 8:20 p.m. ET on Jan. 28 with news of successful launch and satellite deployment.

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Mike Wall
Mike Wall
Senior Space Writer

Michael Wall is a Senior Space Writer with Space.com and joined the team in 2010. He primarily covers exoplanets, spaceflight and military space, but has been known to dabble in the space art beat. His book about the search for alien life, "Out There," was published on Nov. 13, 2018. Before becoming a science writer, Michael worked as a herpetologist and wildlife biologist. He has a Ph.D. in evolutionary biology from the University of Sydney, Australia, a bachelor's degree from the University of Arizona, and a graduate certificate in science writing from the University of California, Santa Cruz. To find out what his latest project is, you can follow Michael on Twitter.