India to create its own satellite navigation system “Gagan”

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Bengaluru, India, January 28, 2013:  India will have its own navigation satellites named ‘GAGAN’ (GPS Aided Geo Augmented Navigation) that will aid on providing regional navigation service, independent of the U.S.-controlled GPS (Global Positioning System). S. Ramakrishnan, Director, Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC) told to media.

S. Ramakrishnan said that it is now that India relies on GPS for the navigation service. Europe, Russia and China were either having or evolving their own navigation services independent of the GPS.

Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) was also planning to devise indigenous navigation service for more precise and advanced navigation. India needed to launch a number of satellites. The Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System (IRNSS), would be launched by the PSLV C-22 rocket, probably in the second half of this year.

S. Ramakrishnan further added that after all the required satellites were launched, India would be in a position to provide navigation service through ‘Gagan’ probably in 2014.