New Delhi, July 1 (IANS). India’s indigenous satellite based navigation system GAGAN (GPS Aided GEO Augmented Navigation) has now established itself as a reliable navigation system globally. The government on Wednesday said the system will further strengthen the country’s satellite navigation ecosystem and will play an important role in safer air travel, better air traffic management and expansion of satellite-based navigation services across the country.
According to an official statement issued by the government, GAGAN achieved an important milestone in June 2026, when the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) successfully tested the satellite-based landing system approach with the help of GAGAN on a commercial jet aircraft for the first time.
The government said that Gagan, together with NAVIC (Navigation with Indian Constellation), will play an important role in advancing India’s indigenous navigation technologies and reducing dependence on foreign systems.
The statement said that given its increasing use in transportation, disaster management, survey and many other areas, Gagan will remain a key pillar of India’s self-reliant, technology-based and better connected future in the future.
GAGAN is India’s indigenous Satellite Based Augmentation System (SBAS), jointly developed by the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) and the Airports Authority of India (AAI).
This system not only increases the accuracy of GPS but also provides integrity (reliability) information necessary for aircraft operation, making aircraft operation safer.
Certified as per international standards, Gagan is not limited to the aviation sector only, but is capable of providing satellite-based navigation services in many other sectors as well. According to the government, this is a significant achievement towards India’s technological self-reliance and leadership in the global satellite navigation sector.
The aviation sector requires highly precise navigation, as even minor errors in the aircraft’s position can affect flight safety.
Although the Global Positioning System (GPS) helps determine the position of aircraft, its signals can be affected by atmospheric conditions and other technical factors.
Given India’s rapidly growing aviation market, the need for a more accurate and reliable navigation system was felt, resulting in the development of GAGAN.
GAGAN works through integrated ground stations, communication networks and geostationary satellites. It continuously monitors GPS signals, calculates errors in them, and transmits corrected navigation information directly to aircraft.
This increases the accuracy and reliability of GPS signals, making flight operations safer, planning better and also increasing the efficiency of various services.
The government said that Gagan has been fully operational since 2015. With this, India has joined the list of select countries which have their own operational Satellite-Based Augmentation System (SBAS). Countries like America, Europe and Japan are already included in this list.
–IANS
DBP
