‘A milestone in India's navigational capabilities’: Himanta Sarma hails ISRO's NVS-03 launch

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Saturday congratulated the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) on the successful launch of its navigation satellite NVS-03, describing the achievement as a major step forward for India's independent navigation capabilities.

The satellite was carried aboard the GSLV-F18 launch vehicle on Friday and successfully placed into its designated injection orbit. The launch restored India's regional navigation satellite system, Navigation with Indian Constellation (NavIC), to its minimum operational configuration of four satellites.

Taking to social media, Sarma highlighted the importance of having an indigenous navigation system and said the successful mission would reduce India's dependence on foreign entities for mapping and strengthen the capabilities of the armed forces.

“A milestone in India’s navigational capabilities. The successful launch of @isro’s GSLV-F18 has ensured that India’s own navigation system, NavIC, is up and running again, eliminating dependence on foreign entities for mapping and shoring up the capabilities of our armed forces,” Sarma said in a social media post.

He also praised the scientists and technical teams involved in executing the mission, acknowledging their contribution to the country's space programme.

Congratulating the team, the Assam Chief Minister added, “The nation is proud of you, as always!”