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One of India’s four navigation satellites has failed, a setback for the NAVIC network. Satellite IRNSS-1F was lost after its atomic clock stopped functioning.
Only three satellites — IRNSS-1B, IRNSS-1L and NVS-01 — remain operational for providng positioning, navigation and timing (PNT) services across the Indian subcontinent. The loss of one degrades location services provided by the NavIC system, a regional navigation satellite system designed to augment global systems (an SBAS).
“IRNSS-1F satellite launched in March 2016 has completed its design mission life of 10 years on 10th March 2026,” the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) announced. “On 13th March 2026, [the] procured on-board atomic clock stopped functioning. However, the satellite will continue to function in-orbit for various societal applications to provide one-way broadcast messaging services.”
Since July 2013, the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) has launched 11 satellites. Since then, six have failed, largely due to defective imported atomic clocks in the initial phase and, in some recent cases, because of orbital complications.
In 2025, the government stated that only four of the 11 satellites deployed for the NavIC system were fully operational for PNT services, while the remaining spacecraft were being utilized in a limited or sub-optimal capacity.
