India’s own GPS has been one satellite short. NavIC, developed by ISRO, needs four working satellites for independent positioning, and before this launch it had only three. On 30 October 2026, India launched NVS-03 aboard the GSLV-F18 rocket to take NavIC to the four it needs. ISRO has completed the first orbit-raising manoeuvre, and the satellite still has to reach its final orbit and become operational.

Every time you use GPS, you are relying on technology controlled by a foreign government. NavIC is India’s own regional satellite navigation system, designed to serve the country and an area extending 1,500 km beyond its borders. NVS-03 also carries an Indian-made atomic clock and an additional navigation signal designed to work with more navigation devices.