CIHS – Centre for Integrated and Holistic Studies

Date/Time:

Blog Post

CIHS – Centre for Integrated and Holistic Studies > ISRO
Desi Gagan to Power Bharat's Aviation
Bharat Technology
0
131

Desi Gagan to Power Bharat’s Aviation

GAGAN marks a decisive stride to aviation sovereignty strengthening safety, efficiency and global leadership in space enabled navigation. Vivek Raina Bharat’s journey towards self-reliance or Aatma nirbharta is increasingly being defined by its ability to develop and deploy world-class technologies in strategically critical sectors. From space exploration and digital infrastructure to defence and aviation, indigenous innovation is emerging as cornerstone of national resilience and technological sovereignty. Successful landing of an IndiGo Airbus A 320 using India’s indigenous GAGAN (GPS Aided GEO Augmented Navigation) created history. The system has been jointly developed by Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and Airports Authority of India (AAI). It marks more than technological achievement and represents a strategic milestone in Bharat’s quest for technological self-reliance, aviation safety and critical infrastructure resilience. As Bharat evolves as one of world’s fastest-growing aviation markets, this achievement demonstrates that the country is capable of building and deploying sophisticated navigation technologies that meet international standards while reducing dependence on foreign systems. For decades, global aviation relied primarily on satellite navigation signals such as United States’ GPS, Europe’s Galileo, Russia’s GLONASS and China’s BeiDou. While these systems transformed aviation, dependence on foreign-owned navigation infrastructure carries inherent strategic and operational vulnerabilities. GAGAN changes this equation by giving Bharat an indigenous edge and system capable of providing highly accurate navigation services over Indian airspace and adjoining regions. GAGAN is not an independent navigation constellation like NavIC or GPS; it is a Satellite-Based Augmentation System (SBAS) that strengthens GPS performance by correcting errors arising from atmospheric disturbances, satellite clock drift and orbital deviations. By delivering higher levels of accuracy, integrity, availability and continuity, GAGAN enables precision approach and landing operations, significantly improving aviation safety and operational efficiency, particularly during adverse weather conditions. Its interoperability with international SBAS networks such as WAAS, EGNOS and MSAS integrates India into the global aviation navigation framework while preserving technological self-reliance. Operating through ISRO’s GSAT- 8 and 10 satellites, GAGAN exemplifies how Bharat is leveraging space technology not merely to achieve navigation autonomy but to provide globally compatible, high-precision navigation enhancement that supports safer skies, modern air traffic management and the nation’s growing aerospace ambitions. GPS on a smartphone is typically accurate within a few metres more than sufficient for everyday navigation. However, such precision falls far short of the exacting standards required to safely guide a commercial aircraft weighing over 70 tonnes during approach and landing, particularly in poor visibility or adverse weather conditions. Rather than replacing GPS, GAGAN enhances its accuracy by continuously correcting errors in satellite signals before they are used for aircraft navigation. The ionosphere, an electrically charged layer of earth’s upper atmosphere that delays and distorts satellite signals, is a significant barrier to GPS accuracy. Because of its location beneath Equatorial Ionisation Anomaly (EIA) where ionospheric conditions are extremely changeable and can change minute by minute, this effect is particularly severe over India. In order to maintain precision needed for aviation, especially during crucial flight phases like approach and landing, such quick changes require constant real-time adjustments. The successful landing of an IndiGo A320 using GAGAN marks a watershed moment in India’s aviation and space technology landscape, signifying the transition of an indigenous innovation from experimental validation to routine commercial operations. Scheduled passenger flights represent highest benchmark of operational reliability and GAGAN’s use in a commercial landing underscores the confidence of airlines, regulators, aircraft manufacturers and pilots in the system’s precision and dependability. By enabling a Localiser Performance with Vertical Guidance (LPV) approach, GAGAN provides pilots with highly accurate lateral and vertical guidance comparable to the Instrument Landing System (ILS), but without the need for costly ground-based navigation infrastructure. This capability is particularly transformative for India’s rapidly expanding network of regional airports where deploying ILS at every location is neither practical nor economical. Beyond supporting safer landings, the system continuously monitors GPS accuracy and immediately alerts users to any degradation, ensuring the integrity required for critical aviation operations. GAGAN Transforming Indian Aviation GAGAN in Global Context Comparison of GAGAN with Leading SBAS Systems Worldwide SBAS System GAGAN WAAS EGNOS MSAS SDCM BDSBAS KASS Country India United States Europe Japan Russia China South Korea Coverage India & adjoining region North America Europe Japan Russia & CIS China & Asia-Pacific South Korea Key Strength Designed to operate in the challenging Equatorial Ionosphere; ICAO certified precision navigation Most mature SBAS with extensive operational experience Dense aviation network and high certification standards Reliable navigation for Japanese airspace GLONASS augmentation Supports BeiDou and multi-constellation navigation New-generation SBAS supporting Korean aviation Comparison with GAGAN Superior in equatorial ionospheric correction; among the world’s most advanced SBAS for tropical regions Superior in operational maturity, user adoptionand airport coverage Superior in deployment scale and integration across Europe Comparable, but GAGAN offers wider coverage and more advanced equatorial corrections Comparable, but GAGAN has broader international civil aviation certification Comparable; BDSBAS has wider domestic deployment, while GAGAN has a longer operational record Too new for direct comparison; GAGAN has greater operational maturity Concluding Observations GAGAN-guided landing of an IndiGo Airbus A320 should be seen not as the culmination of a technological project but as the beginning of a new era in Bharat’s aviation ecosystem. Next phase will require broader airline adoption, expanded pilot training, integration of more airports with LPV procedures and deeper incorporation of GAGAN into Bharat’s evolving air traffic management architecture. While passengers may never directly notice the satellite-based technology guiding their aircraft, they will experience its benefits through safer landings, fewer weather-related disruptions, improved fuel efficiency, enhanced operational reliability and greater connectivity across the country’s expanding regional airport network. More importantly, this milestone symbolises convergence of indigenous space technology, aviation engineering and strategic national vision, reaffirming India’s ability to build and operationalise world-class critical infrastructure. (Author Vivek Raina is Manager, Outreach & Dissemination at Centre for Integrated and Holistic Studies) Reference:

Read More
Between Washington and Beijing, India Steadily Rewrites the Space Race
Bharat China Defence International Technology United States USA
0
379

Between Washington and Beijing, India Steadily Rewrites the Space Race

In an era increasingly defined by a U.S.-China contest for orbit, India’s space wave is emerging as the third force: not just competitive but trusted. Rahul PAWA | @imrahulpawa (X) From Sriharikota’s launch pads to orbiting skies, India’s space agency ISRO has quietly become the go-to commercial launcher for dozens of countries. In the past decade, Indian rockets have placed nearly 390 foreign satellites into orbit. The United States is by far the biggest client, 232 U.S. built satellites have hitched rides with India since 2014, but others are close behind. For example, Britain has sent roughly 83 satellites via ISRO, Singapore about 19, with Canada and South Korea also among the customers (8 and 5 satellites respectively). Space industry analysts note that ISRO “has become a symbol of reliability and innovation, with rockets praised for precision, efficiency and affordability. This reputation for dependable, cost-effective launches helps explain why a dozen nations now entrust key payloads to India’s launchers. At the heart of ISRO’s appeal is its workhorse rocket, the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV). Decades of development have yielded an unusually high success rate, about 94% over 63 missions to date and even occasional world records. In 2017, for instance, a single PSLV mission put 104 satellites into orbit at once shattering the previous record and demonstrating ISRO’s scheduling precision and multi-payload management. As ISRO executives have noted, each launch showcases India’s growing expertise and boosts international confidence. This technical reliability comes with a financial edge. ISRO’s launch prices are substantially lower than many competitor rates. One survey finds PSLV missions run on the order of $21-31 million apiece, compared with roughly $62-67 million for a SpaceX Falcon 9 and $178 million for a Europe’s Ariane 5. Even for very small satellites, India is pushing the cost down. Its new Small Satellite Launch Vehicle (SSLV) is advertised around $3.7 million per flight, a tiny fraction of Western ride-share prices. In short, ISRO offers clients a low-cost, high reliability launch option. No wonder space agencies and companies in emerging markets often choose India when budgets are tight or missions are sensitive. Countries and companies have leveraged ISRO’s launchers across a range of applications. In Europe-India collaborations, the UK’s Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd. contracted ISRO to orbit two remote-sensing satellites in 2018: NovaSAR (an S-band synthetic-aperture radar craft) and S1-4 (a high-resolution optical imager) to monitor forests, floods and ships. Likewise, Brazil launched its Amazonia-1 Earth-observation satellite on a PSLV in 2021, gathering critical imagery of Amazon deforestation and agriculture. Singapore has also joined the client roster: in 2023 PSLV carried the TeLEOS‑2 radar satellite and a small experimental payload (LUMILITE‑4) for Singapore’s government, both intended for maritime and environmental data collection. American commercial entities make heavy use of India’s ride shares. For example, a single 2017 launch carried 96 cubesats built by U.S. companies: 88 from Planet Labs for high-resolution Earth imaging and 8 from Spire Global carrying weather and ship-tracking sensors. ISRO’s track record gives confidence even to sensitive payloads, from Earth-observation craft to communication satellites. Recent missions have included U.S. tech-firms communications spacecraft (AST Space Mobile’s BlueBird satellite) and French company data-relay microsats, all trusting PSLV or India’s heavy-lift GSLV rocket to deliver them to precise orbits. In every case, India’s rockets deliver their payloads efficiently attracting clients from around the globe. Back home, this international success has coincided with a boom in India’s private space industry. Since 2020 the PM Narendra Modi led government has opened the sector, launching an independent regulator (IN-SPACe) and a dedicated $1.2 billion venture fund to back innovation. The result: over 200 new space startups have emerged, from launch-vehicle builders to satellite manufacturers and data analytics firms. These companies are designing everything from small rockets to Earth-observation constellations. Government studies project India’s space economy could quintuple, reaching around $44 billion by the early 2030s as the country captures 8-10% of a global market that could hit that size. Even global investors are taking notice: for example, Google’s parent Alphabet has put $36 million into one Indian satellite startup to build hyper spectral-imaging craft. Crucially, India’s startups stand to benefit from ISRO’s infrastructure even as they go commercial. By law, private launches must use ISRO launchpads, and new small-launcher ventures are in line to use the upcoming Sriharikota New Spaceport as well as the older coastal range. Meanwhile, partnerships abound: several startups work alongside ISRO labs (for avionics, propulsion or data downlinks), and some major projects (like Gaganyaan astronaut flights) channel advanced R&D that will have civilian spinoffs. In short, India’s homegrown space ecosystem is maturing just as global demand for satellites is exploding. This groundswell highlights the imperative that India is not just a launcher for others, but a growing hub of space innovation. In pure dollar terms, the satellite-launch business has so far yielded moderate sums for India. The official trade data show that ISRO’s foreign-launch revenue from 2015-2024 totalled on the order of $143 million. (By comparison, SpaceX alone earned tens of billions over the same period.) However, a more detailed breakdown highlights rapid growth: India’s Minister for Department of Space, Dr. Jitendra Singh recently reported about $172 million in receipts from U.S. satellite contracts and €292 million from Europe in the last decade, with more launches on the manifest. Crucially, these revenues come from launch service fees, not counting the wide range of data and technology that follow. What matters more is momentum. The global space market is on a steep upward trajectory. Goldman Sachs analysts estimate up to 70,000 new satellites will be launched worldwide in the next five years, as low-orbit constellations multiply and nations seek independent capabilities. To capture a share of that market, India leverages its reputation for reliability and low-cost service. Policy planners note that India’s portion of the global space economy (currently around 2%) could realistically rise into the high single digits or 10% range by the early 2030s. Now competing head-to-head with American and Chinese players, ISRO is no longer merely offering “low

Read More
Geopolitics Leadership Technology World
0
921

Chandrayaan-3: Another feather in India’s space odyssey

Prachi Mishra Chandrayaan-3, India’s lunar mission, successfully launched on July 14, 2023 in the afternoon from the Satish Dhawan Space Center in Sriharikota. The launch was carried out using the powerful Launch Vehicle Mark-III (LVM3) rocket. The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is responsible for managing the mission and overseeing the launch. With its origins dating back to 1962, ISRO has a rich history in space exploration, and it officially came into existence in 1969. Since then, ISRO has played a significant role in India’s space endeavors. In June 2023, just prior to the planned launch of Chandrayaan-3, India joined the Artemis Accords led by NASA. These accords focus on fostering peaceful exploration of the Moon by humans and robots. While the primary advantages of the accords pertain to human spaceflight, the White House stated that the data obtained from Chandrayaan-3 could also prove valuable for future Artemis missions involving human landings. According to the Times of India, the estimated cost of Chandrayaan-3 is approximately $77 million USD. The official website states that Chandrayaan-3 has three main objectives: to achieve a safe landing on the lunar surface, to demonstrate rover operations, and to conduct scientific experiments on-site. As per the scientists involved in building and launching of the Moon mission the anticipated landing is expected to occur around August 23 or August 24. The mission involves a propulsion module that will transport the lander and rover to the Moon’s south pole. Once in lunar orbit, the module will adjust its trajectory to form a circular path roughly 60 miles (100 km) above the lunar surface. Subsequently, the lander will separate from the module and endeavor to make a soft landing on the Moon. During its 14 Earth-day surface mission (equivalent to a single lunar day), the lander and rover will conduct scientific investigations. Meanwhile, the propulsion module will observe Earth as part of its own scientific experiment. ISRO has incorporated advanced technologies into the spacecraft package, which includes the rover, lander, and propulsion module. These technologies encompass hazard detection and avoidance capabilities for the rover, a landing leg mechanism designed for a gentle touchdown, as well as altimeters and velocity instruments to estimate altitude and speed above the lunar surface. ISRO has conducted numerous technology tests to simulate lunar conditions, placing instruments in cold temperatures resembling the Moon’s environment and performing lander leg tests on simulated surfaces under various landing conditions. The agency has emphasized the importance of these tests in preparing for the mission. The scientific payload of the Chandrayaan-3 mission is divided among the lander, rover, and propulsion module. The lander is generally box-shaped and equipped with four landing legs and four landing thrusters. Its total mass of approximately 3,900 pounds (1,752 kilograms) includes 57 pounds (26 kilograms) allocated for the rover. The lander incorporates several instruments and experiments, including: As for the rover, it is a rectangular chassis mounted on a six-wheel rocker-bogie wheel drive assembly. The rover communicates with Earth through the lander. Its instrument suite includes: The propulsion module is a box-like structure, features a large solar panel mounted on one side and a cylindrical structure on top serving as a mounting platform for the lander. With a mass exceeding 2.2 tons (2 tonnes), the propulsion module contributes significantly to the mission’s overall weight. The module’s primary experiment is the Spectro-polarimetry of Habitable Planet Earth (SHAPE) investigation, which supports exoplanet searches. This experiment involves collecting data on the polarization of light reflected by Earth, aiding in the search for other planets with similar characteristics, as reported by Nature. Today, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is embarking on its second endeavor to achieve a successful moon landing with the launch of Chandrayaan-3. With Chandrayaan-3, India has once again proven to the world that with indigenous capabilities and domestic talent, it can very well drive its space odyssey.

Read More