India's new navigation satellite NVS-02 gets stranded after launch

India's new regional navigation satellite NVS-02 (IRNSS-1K) is stuck in super-synchronous transfer orbit due to a reported propulsion failure and cannot raise its perigee to complete circularisation into its 36,000 km geostationary operational orbit. The spacecraft was launched on a GSLV Mk II CUSP 4 rocket at 0053 GMT on 29 January from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikota, India. NVS-02 ,was placed into a super-synchronous transfer orbit 37602 x 161 km at 20.7 degrees inclination. However a valve failure to open is reported by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) to have prevented the firing of the main engine - the Liquid Apogee Motor (LAM). Whether the spacecraft can be recovered will be dependent on whether another route can be found to get oxidiser to the other (smaller) thrusters on board the spacecraft. As it stands, there seems no prospect as it was the main valve leading from the oxidiser tankage that appears to be at fault.[caption id="attachment_122144" align="alignnone" width="480"]

NVS satellite (artist's impression). Courtesy: ISRO[/caption]The 2,250 km spacecraft is not believed to be insured. The spacecraft, which was planned to take its place within the Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System (IRNSS) aka NavIC system, uses the I-2K (I-2000) bus produced by ISRO.