The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has encountered a setback in performing the planned orbit-raising operations for the NVS-02 satellite due to a valve malfunction. The NVS-02, the second satellite in the NVS series, was launched on January 29 as part of ISRO’s milestone 100th mission from Sriharikota.ISRO's 100th launch successful, GSLV-F15 carries NVS-02 satellite into planned orbit (WATCH)On Sunday, ISRO stated that the satellite could not be positioned in its designated orbital slot as expected because the valves responsible for allowing oxidizer flow to the thrusters for orbit-raising failed to open.ISRO had planned to conduct orbit-raising operations following the launch but was unable to proceed due to a technical malfunction. These manoeuvres were to be carried out by the Master Control Facility located in Hassan, Karnataka.“The satellite systems are healthy and the satellite is currently in elliptical orbit. Alternate mission strategies for utilising the satellite for navigation in an elliptical orbit is being worked out,” the ISRO said in a statement.ISRO stated that the NVS-02 navigation satellite was successfully placed into the intended Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit.“All the launch vehicle stages performed flawlessly and the orbit was achieved with a high degree of precision. 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,” the space agency said on Sunday.“The issue with the valve was detected after the launch put the satellite in the GTO. Orbit correction manoeuvres have not been carried out since launch,” a source said.The NVS-02 satellite is a part of India’s Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System (IRNSS), known operationally as NavIC (Navigation with Indian Constellation). It belongs to the second generation of NavIC satellites and is equipped with an indigenous atomic clock.At 6:23 AM on Wednesday, ISRO successfully launched the GSLV-F15 rocket carrying the NVS-02 satellite from Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh, marking its 100th mission. This launch was also the first under the leadership of Chairman V. Narayanan, who recently took office, and ISRO’s first mission of the year.According to space experts, the satellite will be unable to perform its intended functions from its current highly elliptical orbit, which ranges from approximately 170 kilometers at its closest point to Earth to nearly 36,577 kilometers at its farthest.