&imwidth=800&imheight=600&format=webp&quality=medium "India's GPS has a satellite problem: Government says NavIC no longer working. All you need to know")
India's indigenous satellite navigation system NavIC is currently unable to provide standalone positioning services, the central government told the Parliament on Wednesday. This is because the number of operational navigation satellites has now fallen below the minimum required.
In a written reply in the Lok Sabha, Union Minister of State for Space Dr Jitendra Singh said only three satellites in the NavIC constellation are presently capable of providing Positioning, Navigation and Timing (PNT) services.
The operational satellites are IRNSS-1B, IRNSS-1I and NVS-01, following the completion of the 10-year mission life of IRNSS-1F.
Why isn't NAVIC working for standalone navigation now?
Standalone positioning allows a navigation system to determine a user's location using only its own satellites, without relying on other global satellite navigation systems such as GPS.
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However, NavIC currently lacks the minimum number of satellites required to provide that service.
"To provide basic positioning service, a minimum of four operational satellites are required in orbit. Hence, the NavIC constellation cannot provide standalone positioning service; however, timing service is functional," Singh said.
While location services have been affected, NavIC's timing service continues to operate normally, according to the government.
No operational risk, says Centre
Despite the reduced constellation, the government said users are not facing operational vulnerabilities because NavIC is now used alongside other global satellite navigation systems in a multi-constellation Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) environment.
This allows receivers to combine signals from GPS, Galileo, GLONASS and NavIC for navigation.
The government also said the Armed Forces use multi-constellation GNSS, including NavIC, to meet operational requirements.
So, is NAVIC useless now?
No, to restore the constellation, ISRO has lined up a series of replacement satellites. The minister revealed that NVS-03 is ready for launch, while NVS-04 and NVS-05 are in advanced stages of development.
The upcoming missions are expected to restore NavIC's standalone navigation capability and strengthen India's second-generation regional navigation network.
ISRO's recent setbacks
The latest update comes as ISRO works to expand and modernise NavIC after facing setbacks in recent years. The space agency successfully launched NVS-01 in 2023 as part of the second-generation NavIC constellation.
However, the subsequent NVS-02 mission encountered propulsion-related issues that prevented the satellite from reaching its intended operational orbit.
Once the planned satellites are launched and commissioned, ISRO expects to rebuild the constellation and improve the reliability of NavIC, which provides positioning, navigation and precise timing services across India and regions extending roughly 1,500 kilometres beyond its borders.
