ISRO to boost NavIC, and widen the user base of the location system
Why in News?
India plans to expand its regional satellite navigation system NaVIC in a bid to increase its use in the civilian sector and also by ships and aircraft traveling far from the country’s borders.
What is NavIC?
1. It is an Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System or IRNSS.
2. It was developed in India by Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and its commercial wing ANTRIX.
3. It consists of 8 satellites located at a distance of approximately 36,000 Km. Currently, 7 satellites are active.
● 3 satellites are in Geostationary Orbit (GEO)
● 5 satellites are in inclined Geosynchronous Orbit (GSO)
4. The objective of the NavIC is to provide navigation, timing, and reliable positioning services in and around India.
5. Working of the NavIC is very similar to the Global Positioning System(GPS) implemented by the United States.
6. The NavIC is certified by 3GPP (3rd Generation Partnership Project) which is responsible for coordinating mobile telephony standards globally.
Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System (IRNSS)
1. It is an independent regional navigational satellite system developed by India.
2. Objective:
● It is being designed to give precise position data service to users located in India and also to users in the area out-spreading up to 1500 Km from India’s boundary.
3. The two kinds of services provided by IRNSS will be:
● Standard Positioning Service (SPS) and
● Restricted Service (RS).
4. The system can offer a position accuracy of more than 20 m within India which is the primary area of service.
The IRNSS is being constructed by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and is wholly under the Indian government’s control. The need for such a system of navigation is that the availability of global satellite navigation systems like the GPS is not assured in hostile conditions.
Commercialization of NavIC
● Antrix, the commercial arm of ISRO has floated two separate tenders to identify industries that can develop dedicated NavIC-based hardware and systems.
● Suitable device manufacturers are being identified along with integrators of NavIC-based systems.
● NAVIC is being commercialized for the following reasons :
○ Navigation (Aerial, marines and terrestrial)
○ Maps (Charting, Plotting and Geodetic data capture)
○ Disaster Management
○ Fleet Management and Vehicle Tracking (important during mining and transport operations)
○ Mobile phone integration
○ Precise timing (useful for power grids and ATMs)
● The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways has mandated that all national-permit vehicles must have such tracking devices. As a pilot, many fishing boats have been fitted with these devices that have a unique texting facility.
● The 3GPP certification will allow multiple possibilities of further commercialization of NavIC.
Types of Orbits:
● Geostationary Orbits (GEO): Geostationary orbits fall in the same category as geosynchronous orbits, but it’s parked over the equator. This one special quality makes it unique from geosynchronous orbits.
○ Weather monitoring satellites like GOES are in geostationary orbits because they have a constant view of the same area.
● Geosynchronous Orbit (GSO): a geosynchronous orbit synchronizes with the rotation of the Earth.
○ The time it takes for the Earth to rotate on its axis is 23 hours, 56 minutes, and 4.09 seconds, which is the same as a satellite in a geosynchronous orbit.
Some applications of Navic
● Terrestrial, Aerial, and Marine Navigation, Disaster Management, Vehicle tracking, fleet management, Integration with mobile phones, Precise Timing, Mapping, Geodetic data capture, etc.
Significance
● Revenue generation: It will bring healthy competition between various navigation services, and potentially significant revenues for the country.
● Technological Innovation: NAVIC should also propel technological innovations and spin-offs that render India progressively less reliant on technological imports from the West and elsewhere.
○ India can combine NAVIC with GAGAN—its indigenous augmentation system—to service users on differential rates depending on the navigational precision they seek.
● Interoperability: NAVIC’s interoperability with GPS can ensure the minimization of technical snags when used in complementarity with existing GPS-enabled solutions.
● Net security providers: It will bolster the ability of a nation to serve as a net security provider along with its neighbors.
○ The US equivalent, Global Positioning System (GPS), played a significant role in relief efforts post disasters such as the tsunami in the Indian Ocean region in 2004 and the Pakistan-India earthquake in 2005.
UPSC Civil Services Examination, Previous Year Questions Prelims
Q. With reference to the Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System (IRNSS), consider the following statements:
1. IRNSS has three satellites in geostationary and four satellites in geosynchronous orbits.
2. IRNSS covers the entire India and about 5500 sq. km beyond its borders.
3. India will have its satellite navigation system with full global coverage by the middle of 2019.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
(a) 1 only
(b) 1 and 2 only
(c) 2 and 3 only
(d) None
Answer : (a)1 only
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