NavIC, formerly known as the Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System (IRNSS), has had several major failures. This programme stood out as one of the most troublesome projects ISRO has undertaken in recent times. The system, which has significant strategic utility, was not available during Operation Sindoor (6–7 May 2025). More importantly, during this conflict, India found it evident that China was providing military-grade navigational signals to Pakistan using its BeiDou constellation.

The IRNSS project began as an independent regional satellite-based navigation system to provide accurate Position, Navigation and Timing (PNT) services over India and the surrounding region. Its primary service area extends approximately 1,500 kms beyond India’s geographical boundaries, while its extended service area covers a larger region between 30° South and 50° North latitudes and 30° East and 130° East longitudes. The system provides two types of services: the Standard Positioning Service (SPS), available to all civilian and commercial users, and the Restricted Service (RS), an encrypted service intended for authorised users, including strategic and defence agencies.

IRNSS provides SPS and RS to the users on dual frequencies in L5 and S band. The system has positioning accuracy better than 20 metres in its primary service area.  It has applications in terrestrial, aerial and maritime navigation; disaster management; vehicle tracking; fleet management; mobile-phone integration; precise timing; mapping; geodetic data collection; and navigation assistance for drivers, hikers and travellers.[2] India needed such a system to reduce its dependence on foreign navigation constellations like GPS (US), GLONASS (Russian system), and Galileo (the EU constellation).

India is developing its own navigation system for both civilian and strategic uses. ISRO completed the deployment of the original seven-satellite IRNSS constellation on 28 April 2016. The constellation was designed with seven satellites: three in Geostationary Earth Orbit (GEO) and four in inclined Geosynchronous Earth Orbit (GSO).........

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