Strategic satellites grounded at Sriharikota as govt clearance eludes Isro

Two strategically important satellites, NVS-03 and GISAT-1A, have been awaiting launch at India's spaceport in Sriharikota for weeks, according to sources familiar with the matter. The vehicles assigned for their missions, including a GSLV-Mk2 rocket, are also ready, but the government has not granted the final clearance required for launch.

The delay comes amid a slowdown in India's launch programme following the failures of two PSLV missions — one in May 2025 and another in January 2026. The government has not publicly released detailed findings into these failures, which has contributed to uncertainty across all vehicle families, even those not directly involved in the incidents.

NVS-03 is part of India's second-generation NavIC navigation satellite constellation. GISAT-1A, also designated EOS-05, is an advanced geo-imaging satellite intended for near real-time observation of the Indian landmass. Both satellites have completed most pre-launch preparations, sources said.

The GSLV-Mk2 at the spaceport was designated for one of the two missions. However, its propellant filling was halted midway because launch clearance was not issued.

The pause in launches follows a difficult period for the Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro). On January 12, 2026, the PSLV-C62 mission failed to place its payloads into orbit after an anomaly in the third stage (PS3). Eight months prior, PSLV-C61 also failed due to what Isro described as a "pressure drop" in the same stage. Detailed failure reports have not been made public.

Union Minister Jitendra Singh recently said in Bengaluru that the failure analysis committee investigating the PSLV-C62 mission had identified the cause, but that the findings "could not be disclosed publicly". This lack of transparency has raised concerns among those within the Department of Space, which is already dealing with low morale.

Officials familiar with the matter said no launches have been cleared while the government reviews the situation. The caution extends to the GSLV and LVM-3 rockets, even though the identified issues relate specifically to the PSLV's third stage. A source within the department questioned the logic, saying, "It's like telling us not to take our cars out because our bike had an issue in its previous outing."

The delay has significant implications. NVS-03 is expected to help revive the NavIC constellation, which currently has only three functional satellites. The government recently admitted that NavIC has failed to deliver navigation services because of a shortage of satellites.

GISAT-1A also revives a mission with a troubled history. The original GISAT-1, India's first geostationary Earth observation satellite, was lost in August 2021 when the GSLV-F10 mission's cryogenic stage failed to ignite. The replacement is designed to provide frequent imaging for disaster management, agriculture, forestry, environmental monitoring and national security.

Meanwhile, Isro has implemented corrective actions after the January 2025 NVS-02 anomaly, in which the spacecraft failed to reach its intended orbit. The agency said the problem was traced to a drive signal that never reached a pyro valve in the oxidiser line. These measures were validated on the CMS-03 mission in November 2025, according to Isro.

For now, hardware, satellites and launch vehicles remain at the spaceport, with no clear timeline for when the government will authorise launches to resume.