India news: National space agency ISRO to boost GPS alternative with new satellite launch

India's space agency is set to launch a navigation satellite on Friday night to strengthen the country's indigenous alternative to GPS.

According to Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) the NVS-03 is "intended to augment the NavIC constellation and support continuity of navigation services."

The NVS-03 satellite, the third in ISRO's next-generation navigation series, will be carried into orbit by the GSLV-F18 rocket from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota at 11:51 p.m. (1821 GMT) on Friday.

According to ISRO, the satellite features an indigenous atomic clock alongside imported clocks, and adds the L1 signal to the existing L5 and S-band signals. It is designed to provide navigation coverage across India and up to 1,500 kilometers (932 miles) beyond its borders.

NavIC is seen as an alternative to the Global Positioning System (GPS) system owned by the United States government.

It was developed to reduce India's dependence on foreign navigation systems, however, according to the Hindustan Times newspaper, the program has faced repeated setbacks, including failing atomic clocks and satellite launch and deployment problems.

Last month, India had launched of its EOS-05 Earth observation satellite, its first ever imaging satellite in geosynchronous orbit.

All eyes will be on the skies today as India prepares to launch a navigation satellite to strengthen its indigenous alternative to GPS, reducing the country's reliance on the US government-owned system.

Meanwhile, the results of the Legislative Council elections in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh serve as a warning from the Samajwadi Party to the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) ahead of the 2027 state elections.

Elsewhere, the states of Assam and West Bengal are on flood alert after a glacier burst in Bhutan.