India's space program has encountered a significant setback with the failure of the NVS-02 navigation satellite, launched over a year ago. The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has attributed the mishap to a valve malfunction that prevented the spacecraft from raising its orbit.

On 28 January 2025, ISRO successfully launched NVS-02 aboard a GSLV MK-II rocket from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre. The vehicle placed the satellite into a geostationary transfer orbit (GTO), a standard initial trajectory for such missions. However, the spacecraft's onboard propulsion system failed to execute the critical orbit-raising manoeuvre.

This left NVS-02 stranded in an elliptical orbit ranging from 287 km to 37,252 km altitude, with an inclination of 20.85 degrees. Data from the U.S. Space Force’s Space-Track service confirms the satellite remains in this suboptimal path, rendering it largely ineffective for its intended navigation duties.

ISRO disclosed the findings on 25 February 2026, following an investigation by an Apex Committee. The probe pinpointed a pyrotechnic valve failure as the culprit. This valve, essential for releasing oxidizer to the orbit-raising engine, did not open despite commands being issued.

The agency explained that the signal to activate the valve failed to reach it, likely due to disengagement of at least one contact in both the main and redundant electrical paths of the connector. This dual-path failure underscored a vulnerability in the pyro system’s redundancy.

While ISRO refrained from elaborating further on the technical specifics, it implemented corrective measures to bolster the reliability of pyro operations. These enhancements underwent successful ground testing and were validated in flight on the CMS-03 satellite, launched in November 2025.

The NVS-02 incident forms part of a troubling cluster of three failures within a 12-month span for ISRO. In May 2025, a Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) mission carrying a radar imaging satellite suffered a third-stage malfunction, preventing orbit insertion.

Just weeks ago, on 11 January 2026, another PSLV flight faltered in its third stage, resulting in the loss of the EOS-N1 imaging satellite and 15 secondary payloads. These back-to-back PSLV setbacks have raised questions about recurring issues in the vehicle’s upper stage.

Unlike the transparent NVS-02 report, ISRO has provided scant details on the PSLV anomalies. For the May 2025 failure, no root cause was publicly disclosed prior to resuming flights. The latest incident prompted the formation of a national-level expert committee.

This committee, announced on 25 February 2026, includes high-profile figures such as former ISRO chairman S Somanath and a former principal science adviser to the Indian government. It is tasked with probing not only technical factors but also potential organisational causes behind the two PSLV failures.

The panel is expected to deliver its report by April 2026, potentially informing broader reforms at ISRO. Such scrutiny could address systemic challenges amid India's ambitious space goals, including human spaceflight via Gaganyaan and expanded NavIC navigation constellation.

NVS-02 was meant to bolster India's NavIC system, providing precise positioning services over the Indian region. Its failure delays redundancy in the constellation, which already comprises several operational satellites but requires full coverage for optimal performance.

The GSLV MK-II, while reliable historically, highlights the need for robust satellite-level redundancies. ISRO's swift corrective actions on the pyro system demonstrate proactive engineering, yet the PSLV string underscores propulsion reliability as a priority.

These incidents come at a pivotal time for ISRO, as it scales up indigenous launch capabilities and private sector involvement. Recent successes like CMS-03 offer reassurance, but the failures emphasise the high-stakes nature of space missions where marginal errors cascade into mission losses.

Public and expert discourse, amplified by reports in news outlets like The Hindu, calls for greater transparency in failure analyses. ISRO's measured disclosures balance national interests with accountability, fostering trust in its modernisation drive.

As investigations unfold, stakeholders await outcomes that could refine ISRO's processes, ensuring future missions like NVS series successors achieve their orbits without hitch.

Agencies