ISRO chairman visits the Tirumala temple ahead of GSLV-F15 rocket launch

Tirumala, January 28, 2025: With one day left for the much-awaited 100th rocket launch by ISRO, its Chairman Dr. V. Narayanan along with a team of scientists paid their visit to the sacred Lord Venkateswara Temple here on Tuesday. The team sought prayers for the successful launch of GSLV-F15/NVS-02 mission to be launched from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre tomorrow at Sriharikota.

Dr. Narayanan was observed offering a miniature GSLV-F15 model to the goddess seeking perfection and no failures during the launch. The ISRO Chief appreciated the support received from the Government by expressing appreciation that it had “come from all the layers right up to Prime Minister Narendra Modi himself” as seen with approval for setting up a third launch pad with a ₹400-crores proposal for the space center.

“This new infrastructure will enable the launch of heavier rockets, further bolstering India’s space exploration capabilities,” said Dr. Narayanan.

Countdown to the 100th Mission

GSLV-F15: Greatest achievement to propel a rocket tomorrow at 6:23 am from Sriharikota’s second launch pad, carrying the NVS-02 satellite to Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit toward strengthening the indigenous navigation system of India, NavIC (Navigation with Indian Constellation).

This is a historic moment for ISRO, whose journey began with the launch of the Satellite Launch Vehicle (SLV) on August 10, 1979, at the same spaceport. The GSLV-F15 mission will also be the 8th operational flight of the GSLV series, incorporating advanced indigenous technology, including a Cryogenic Upper Stage and a metallic payload fairing with a diameter of 3.4 meters—a first for the series.

Enhancement of India’s NavIC System:
The NVS-02 satellite will also greatly boost India’s NavIC system. It will be designed to deliver very accurate Position, Velocity, and Timing services over users in India as well as adjacent regions. It offers two categories of services namely

1. SPS (Standard Positioning Service) : available for all
2. RS (Restricted Service) : it’s an encrypted service for registered/authorized users only.

The system ensures position accuracy within 20 meters and timing accuracy better than 40 nanoseconds within its coverage area, thus making it a robust alternative to global systems like GPS.

ISRO’s Legacy and Future

This mission reinforces ISRO’s position as a leader in space technology and underlines steady progress since its inception. With the third launch pad now coming up and continuous development of indigenous technologies, India is on a roll to achieve some of the great milestones in space exploration, such as launching heavier payloads and interplanetary missions.

With the clock ticking for the liftoff of GSLV-F15, the nation waits with bated breath for yet another feather in ISRO’s illustrious cap as it further cements India’s growing prowess in space science and technology.