Why is it in the news?
ISRO reported failure of atomic clock in IRNSS-1F satellite.
This raised concerns over reliability of India’s NavIC navigation system.
Category: S&T
Important Points:
● NavIC (Navigation with Indian Constellation) is India’s regional navigation system.
● It provides coverage over India and up to 1500 km beyond borders.
● It was developed after GPS denial during Kargil conflict (1999).
● It provides Standard Positioning Service and Restricted Service.
● It offers accuracy of about 5–10 metres in India.
● It uses dual frequency bands (L and S) for better accuracy.
● Second-generation NVS satellites include indigenous atomic clocks.
● NVS-02 satellite faced technical issues in reaching final orbit.
● Only limited satellites are currently fully operational for positioning services.