Spaceflight

The Indian government has given the go-ahead for the country's satellite-based navigation system for air traffic management called Gagan.

The technology demonstration phase of Gagan, which is Sanskrit for sky, has already been completed and the project is expected to enter its operational phase in 2011.

It is to be implemented jointly by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and the state-owned Airports Authority of India. Gagan could be interoperable with the European EGNOS system and Japan's space-based augmentation system to provide seamless global navigation.

"The system will provide coverage of oceanic areas, which is not possible with the currently operational terrestrial systems," says the Indian civil aviation ministry.

India's G-Sat-4 technology demonstrator communications satellite has a navigation payload designed to support Gagan. It is to be launched by ISRO's Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle by the end of next year. ISRO is also planning to launch two more navigation payloads, one on each of two future geostationary satellites.