NEW DELHI: An IndiGo plane made history on Thursday when it landed at Rajasthan’s Kishangarh airfield near Ajmer. This was the first time an aeroplane( GAGAN ,ISRO) landed utilising an indigenously built satellite-based augmentation system (SBAS) that offers three-dimensional navigation guidance.
India has become the first country in the Asia-Pacific to successfully build such a system for aviation usage, thanks to Isro’s GAGAN (GPS Aided GEO Augmented Navigation).
We examine in depth why the successful trial of the IndiGo jet places India in a specialised global league.
What exactly is GAGAN and how does it work?
GAGAN is an abbreviation for GPS Aided GEO Augmented Navigation. It employs a satellite constellation and a network of ground stations to complement the GPS standard positioning service (SPS) navigation signal for use in air traffic control.
GPS satellite data on aircraft position and movement is collected by ground stations strategically placed across the country. The master control centre generates messages to fix any signal problems based on this information. These revised signals are subsequently uplinked and delivered to aircraft receivers via geostationary communication satellites on the same frequency as GPS.
How it Benefits Aviation
GAGAN is intended to offer the accuracy and integrity required to rely on GPS for all phases of flight, from en route to approach, for all approved airports within the covered zone.
It will also improve aircraft position reporting accuracy, enabling for more uniform and high-quality air traffic management.
What are its benefits? in comparison to ground-based systems
GAGAN provides about the same accuracy as a ground-based landing system, which consists of antennae and beacons that transmit signals to aircraft to assist pilots in landing.
It will allow aircraft to land at smaller and regional airports that do not have expensive ground-based landing equipment.
GAGAN can provide advantages in terms of fuel and equipment cost savings, as well as flight safety, particularly under poor weather circumstances and increased air space capacity, according to Isro.
Why is India suddenly a member of an exclusive club?
Aside from GAGAN, the globe has just three space-based augmentation systems: the United States (WAAS), Europe (EGNOS), and Japan (MSAS). GAGAN is compatible with all three. Its presence stretches from Africa to Australia, and it has the capacity to expand to provide continuous navigation services throughout the region.
Other areas of application
Though designed primarily for aviation, GAGAN will assist a wide range of other user sectors, including intelligent transportation, maritime, highways, railways, surveying, geodesy, security agencies, the telecom industry, personal users of position location apps, and so on.