NavICIRNSSs

NavIC, or Navigation with Indian Constellation, is India’s regional satellite navigation system developed by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). It is intended to provide accurate position, navigation, and timing information to users in India and the surrounding region, extending up to roughly 1,500 kilometers from the Indian mainland. The system is officially known as the Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System (IRNSS) and is part of the broader global GNSS landscape.

The space segment comprises seven satellites in three orbital planes: three satellites in near-equatorial geostationary-like orbits and four in inclined geosynchronous orbits. This configuration supports regional coverage and reliability through diverse orbital geometry. The ground segment includes a Master Control Facility at Hassan, Karnataka, along with a network of Telemetry, Tracking and Command stations that monitor satellite health, update orbital data and synchronize clocks, supported by operations centers coordinating ongoing navigation services.

NavIC delivers two civilian signals transmitted on L5 (1176.45 MHz) and S-band (2492.028 MHz), enabling standard positioning services (SPS) and a restricted service (RS) for authorized users. Civilian receivers can obtain position, velocity, and time information with accuracy suitable for regional navigation, and the system is designed to be interoperable with other GNSS such as GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, and BeiDou.

Applications and status: NavIC has been implemented across government and civilian domains and is increasingly supported by consumer devices, including smartphones in India. India continues to maintain and expand the constellation through satellite replacements and ground infrastructure upgrades to improve reliability and coverage, ensuring regional compatibility with global navigation standards.