ISRO targets 11:51 p.m. NVS-03 launch on October 30

ISRO is targeting 11:51 p.m. Indian Standard Time on October 30, 2026, for the launch of its NVS-03 navigation satellite from Sriharikota. The Tribune reported the precise liftoff time on October 28, attributing the schedule to the space agency; Deccan Chronicle gives the same time in its October 29 report.

The 24-hour countdown is planned to begin at 11:51 p.m. IST on October 29, according to Deccan Chronicle. That start remained in the future at publication. The newspaper also reported that a mission readiness review was held on October 28, with scientists examining preparations and launch arrangements.

ISRO’s October 28 mission page identifies the flight as GSLV-F18 and the launch site as the Second Launch Pad at Satish Dhawan Space Centre. The agency plans to send NVS-03 into a geosynchronous transfer orbit. Deccan Chronicle reports that manoeuvres towards the operational orbit would follow that initial placement.

NVS-03 is the third satellite in India’s next-generation navigation series. ISRO describes it as intended to maintain navigation-service continuity over India and a region extending about 1,500 kilometres beyond the country’s boundary. It carries an Indian atomic clock alongside procured clocks, and adds an L1 navigation signal to the existing L5 and S-band signals.

The new reports specify the timing and pre-launch sequence beyond the October 30 date target previously reported. They describe preparations for a future flight, rather than an orbital or navigation-service outcome. The next scheduled step is the countdown on October 29.