ISRO's 100th rocket launch faces setback as desired orbit not achieved due to technical glitch

The NVS-02 satellite could not be placed in the desired orbit as the thrusters on board the spacecraft failed to fire.

"Subsequent to the launch, the solar panels on board the satellite were successfully deployed and power generation is nominal. Communication with the ground station has been established.

"But the orbit raising operations towards positioning the satellite to the designated orbital slot could not be carried out as the valves for admitting the oxidizer to fire the thrusters for orbit raising did not open," the space agency wrote in an update on its website.

"The satellite systems are healthy and the satellite is currently in elliptical orbit."

The 100th rocket was launched by ISRO from Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh last Wednesday.

The space agency had used a Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV) in the launch.

The GSLV-F15 with indigenous Cryogenic stage placed NVS-02 satellite into a Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit.

GSLV F15 lifted-off from the second launch pad at 06:23 am on January 29 carrying the NVS-02 navigation satellite.

Over a span of 99 launches, various missions have been carried out from Sriharikota.