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The GAGAN facility was launched by Shri P. Ashok Gajapathi Raju, Hon’ble Minister of Civil Aviation in

the august presence of Shri R.N. Choubey, Secretary, Civil Aviation, Smt. M. Sathiyavathy, Director

General, DGCA, Shri R K Srivastava, Chairman-AAI and Dr. Y.V.N. Krishnamurthy, Scientific Secretary,

ISRO. On this occasion DGCA handed over the GAGAN certificate for APV 1 & RNP0.3 service to the

Chairman, AAI. Speaking on the occasion Secretary, Civil aviation dwelled upon popularizing the

system amongst the neighbouring countries and other countries in the catchment area. He also

emphasized the need for meeting the end users to further popularizing the system.

Hon’ble Minister further dwelled upon taking

up the newly launched facility by India

through his counterparts around the globe

and he insisted that we shall promote the

use of GAGAN services not only for the Civil

Aviation rather for broader logistics services

so that efficiency and reliability of logistics

and other industries are equally benefitted

from this technology. So far as, Civil Aviation

is concerned, GAGAN is the first SBAS in the

world certified for approach with Vertical

Guidance operating in the Equatorial

Ionospheric Region and it is the third SBAS

who have achieved feat after WAAS of

USA,EGNOS of Europe and MSAS of Japan.

All present complemented the AAI & ISRO

Teams on this meritorious achievement and

added that nation is proud on launch of this

facility.

Compliments--

• India’s FIRST satellite navigation system developed jointly by AAI & ISRO

• 4th SBAS in the World

• 3rd to achieve Approach with Vertical

Guidance Certification

• 1st system developed in Equatorial Region making India the leader in Asia Pacific

Region

GAGAN dedicated to the Nation for Civil Aviation by Hon’ble Minister of

Civil Aviation, Shri P. Ashok Gajapathi Raju on July 13, 2015

Shri P. Ashok Gajapathi Raju, Hon’ble Union Minister of Civil Aviation lightening the lamp on the occasion of formal launch of GAGAN system for aviation use. Also seen in the picture are Dr. Y.V.N.Krishnamurthy, Scientific Secretary, ISRO, Shri R.N. Choubey, IAS, Secretary (Civil Aviation), Shri R K Srivastava, IAS, Chairman, AAI and Smt. M. Sathiyavathy, IAS, Director General, DGCA (L –R).

INSIDE GNSS USER MEET 2015

2015 U.S.-INDIA AVIATION SUMMIT

KOREAN DELEGATION TEAM VISIT ON 18th NOVEMBER 2015

GSAT-15 SATELLITE SUCCESSFULLY

LAUNCHED

INDIAN REGIONAL NAVIGATION SATELLITE SYSTEM (IRNSS)

GNSS REQUIREMENTS FOR LAND,

SEA AND AIR APPLICATIONS

52nd CONFERENCE OF DIRECTORS

GENERAL OF CIVIL AVIATION

29th INTEROPERABILITY WORKING

GROUP (IWG)

NAVIGATION SYSTEMS PANEL (NSP)

GENERAL AVIATION/BUSINESS AVIATION MEETING

INCENTIVE TO SCHEDULE AIRLINES FOR UTILIZATION OF GAGAN

ISTF MEETING GAGAN TECHNOLOGY PARK INDIA HOSTS THE FIRST EVER

PARAGLIDING WORLD CUP IRNSS USER MEET 2015 RETIREMENT FAREWELL TO

GAGAN PROJECT DIRECTOR FROM GAGAN VISITOR’S DIARY

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It is said that “In Aviation Knowledge is not Power, Safety is”. GAGAN introduces the

element of precision and accuracy which enhances safety of life in critical aviation

applications. GAGAN enables a transition to Satellite Based Navigation which is a paradigm shift from the Terrestrial Based Navigation providing a cutting edge

advantage to its users in both en-route and terminal airspace(s).

GAGAN will be a game changer in view of the Ministry of Civil Aviation policies of

economic growth through aviation even in the remotest corner of the country.

As is known universally, the exorbitant costs of installation of Instrument Landing

Systems and the technical feasibility of installing them in terrain challenged airports

is a major concern for the AAI. However, by using GAGAN, procedures can be

designed for any airport, thereby assisting operation of flights into airports not

equipped with traditional ground based terminal navigation equipment like ILS, with

an accuracy of guidance which can match or even excel the existing guidance. GAGAN can achieve the dream of remote connectivity with reduced cost for the

airports. The success of a Programme lies in its utility and the users shall be equally

responsible to take this national Programme forward. It is envisioned that the addition of a GAGAN receiver on board aircraft will result in the huge benefits to the

airlines. Thus, to reap the benefits, the airlines should enable their aircraft as early

as possible.

AAI is considering “incentive programs” which will help to promote and accelerate the

equipage by commercial airlines and General Aviation aircraft. AAI will conduct a few user meets before deciding on the quantum and reach of such an incentive Programme, so that tangible outcomes are targeted and achieved.

India has entered into the realm of satellite-based navigation with its two pioneering projects GAGAN and IRNSS. With the certification of GAGAN for precision approach and IRNSS providing independent positioning, the time is apt to

gather the Indian GNSS community to dwell on the uses in the various spheres.

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GAGAN APV approaches will make most

of the runways capable of all-weather operations. It will help to promote the helicopter operations in India with the

capabilities of making instrument approaches to heliports possible.

HEDGE – Helicopters Deploy GNSS in Europe is a successful ongoing Programme in Europe and India will like

to start a programme of its own like HUGI – Helicopters Use GAGAN in India and such a Programme will add a new

safety dimension to helicopter operations in India.

India’s robust space technology is the driver for transition to satellite based technologies not only in the Indian

airspace, but also for other States in Asia Pacific region to collectively adopt seamless services ensuring global

advantage for the aviation growth. GAGAN expansion in the region will

mutually benefit India as the service volume can be expanded.

GAGAN signal has extensive use in other than aviation environment as well. GAGAN has made inroads into Forest

asset management, scientific studies such as tectonic plate movements, space

weather effects to name a few. Government of India is looking at the opportunities for its use in all the forms

of transportation that require precision position supported by high level of

integrity such as in Railways, Maritime

and Road Transport. With the advent of IRNSS, India will be

in the forefront of precision Satellite PNT

technology drivers for the region. AAI has

the primary responsibility in the

continued operation and maintenance of

GAGAN ground segments supported by

ISRO for the space segment.

AAI will continue to focus on its development, expansion and promotion

to all the aviation and non aviation users by enhancing GNSS skill development.

India being the leader in designing, developing and operating GAGAN and

IRNSS, it will be good to explore for formation of an institution for proper

skill development. May be an Indian

Institute of Navigation- IION” be set up

through a JV mode with participation

from AAI, ISRO and other organizations

such as HAL, ADE, NAL etc. to

encourage the younger generation with

the skill development.

In addition AAI may also consider developing “The GAGAN/IRNSS TECH

PARKS” that may be developed around

GAGAN Master Control Centres with government support and associating

related industry.This will be in line with

the IT revolution that took place in

major cities like Bangalore, Chennai,

Delhi and Hyderabad, where IT Tech

Parks were developed to bring in synergy

and create job opportunities.

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October 8, 2015

GNSS User Meet 2015

Indian SBAS system, GAGAN, has been jointly implemented by ISRO and Airports Authority of India (AAI) for civil

aviation over Indian air space and has been certified for civil aviation services (APV 1.0). Non-aviation users also

can benefit from its services. IRNSS, an indigenous regional satellite based positioning system developed by

ISRO, is established to provide independent position solution for critical national applications. IRNSS, with four

satellites already in orbit, can be utilized for stand-alone position solutions. IRNSS, in its full configuration, is

expected to be operational by 2016.

Global Navigation Satellite System- User Meet 2015 is jointly hosted by ISRO & AAI on the theme “Towards self

Reliance in Satellite Navigation”. The prime objective of the meet is to bring together the GNSS-based

industries, Location based service providers & their user on a common platform and explore various avenues to

utilize the India satellite-based navigation services for socio economic benefit of the country. India has entered

into the realm of satellite-based navigation with its two pioneering projects GAGAN and IRNSS. With the

certification of GAGAN for precision approach and IRNSS providing independent positioning, the time is apt to

gather the Indian GNSS Community

The basic objective of this meet was to bring together all the GNSS based industries, location based service providers and their users on common platform.

Stressing on the success story of GAGAN, Airport Authority of India Chairman, R K Srivastava, said that he

expects GAGAN to be a game-changer for aviation sector.

Chairman AAI in his address to mass gathering at ISAC, ISRO auditorium told that GAGAN is now fully operational and GAGAN Service is available from two satellites G-SAT 8 and G-SAT 10. A single satellite carrying the navigation payload or augmented payload is enough for the aviation purpose. GAGAN is certified with APV1 (Approach with vertical guidance). This will guide the aircraft to about 1.3 kms from the edge of the runway. This is the sort of capability we have developed.

Experts and users from various spheres like the Indian Navigation industry, application developers, the

academia, the various ministries and govt. departments etc attended user meet.

The U.S. Trade and

Development Agency, in

partnership with the

Government of India and

the U.S.-India Aviation

Cooperation Program,

conducted the 5th U.S.-

India Aviation Summit,

November 3-5, 2015.

UDSTDA team members

visited GAGAN facility on

3rd November 2015.

Technical Team from South Korea visited GAGAN facility to explore the possible support from India for development of Korean SBAS.

South Korea plans to develop a new satellite-based navigation system that will significantly reduce the margin of error and enhance the safety of public transportation, including airline services. The country will begin developing what is known as a satellite-based augmentation system (SBAS) from this year for completion by 2018.

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2015 U.S.-India Aviation Summit November 3-5, 2015, Bengaluru

Korean Delegation Team Visit on 18th November 2015

GSAT-15 was successfully launched by

European Ariane rocket from the spaceport

of Kourou in French Guiana on 10 November

2015. A high power satellite, GSAT-15 carries

a total of 24 communication transponders in

Ku-band as well as a GPS-Aided GEO

Augmented Navigation (GAGAN) payload

operating in L1 and L5 bands. The GAGAN

payload will meet the in-orbit redundancy

requirement for Safety of Life (SOL)

operations benefiting the civil aviation

services and other users of augmented GPS-

based systems in the country.

GSAT-15 Satellite Successfully Launched

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Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System (IRNSS)

Global Navigation Satellite System has gained more importance in the past decade

right from a simple mobile application to high end technology domains. Satellite navigation receivers are widely used in all applications on land, sea and air for precise

positioning and timing. The technology had also matured with high speed processors and robust algorithms to develop the GNSS receivers with capability to acquire and process multi constellation GNSS signals and provide highly accurate navigation

solution at a faster update rate. A wide variety of GPS GLONASS receivers have been developed across the globe and are used in various applications.

ISRO was actively pursuing the two major projects – GAGAN and IRNSS to meet the requirements of AAI and other users. GAGAN is already operational. The regional

navigation satellite system IRNSS is more than half way through with 04 out of 07 satellites already launched and the complete control and ground segments been established. The constellation is expected to be fully operational by mid-2016 and

with 04 satellites, the positioning is achieved presently. The development of IRNSS has provided the much needed self-reliance to the Indian users in the GNSS

technology. The development of GAGAN and IRNSS has greatly drawn the attention of the GNSS users in India urging the development of GNSS receivers for numerous applications, augmented with the capabilities of IRNSS and GAGAN.

GNSS Requirements for Land, Sea and Air Applications

(Excerpts from the GNSS user meet 2015)

IRNSS is an independent regional navigation satellite system being developed by India. It is designed to provide accurate position information service to users in India

as well as the region extending up to 1500 km from its boundary, which is its primary service area. An Extended Service Area lies between primary service area and area enclosed by the rectangle from Latitude 30 deg South to 50 deg North, Longitude 30

deg East to 130 deg East.

IRNSS will provide two types of services, namely, Standard Positioning Service (SPS) which is provided to all the users and Restricted Service (RS), which is an encrypted service provided only to the authorised users. The IRNSS System is expected to

provide a position accuracy of better than 20 m in the primary service area. India has launched four regional navigational satellites (IRNSS-1A, 1B, 1C and ID) as part of a constellation of seven satellites to provide accurate position information

service to users across the country and the region, extending up to an area of 1,500 kms.

Though the full system comprises of nine satellites - seven in orbit and two on the ground as stand-by. The entire IRNSS constellation of seven satellites is planned to be

completed this year itself

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GNSS Requirements for Land, Sea and Air Applications

(Excerpts from the GNSS user meet 2015)

wrist or fit on palm with a weight of 10grams. The Survey grade receiver for usage on land would require a very high degree of position accuracy, few cm to 1m. Guided Ammunition would require highly rugged receivers so as to withstand very high levels of shock, vibration and temperatures. In most of the land applications, there is a requirement to maintain the waypoints history and route storage. Though the requirement in number is relatively less for naval vessels, there is a sizeable requirement for naval aircrafts, UAVs, Helos, etc. The size of the receiver must be optimum, typically not exceeding 300mm x 250mm x 100mm on board naval platforms. The receivers for sea applications have to comply to JSS 55555 and IP standards. The interfaces that would be typically required for air-borne applications are MILSTD-1553B, ARINC 429, RS-422, Ethernet and USB. The data format desired would vary from application such as ASCII, NMEA-0183, etc. Display interfaces are essential in most of the hand held receivers. The requirement is ever growing and so is the threat. The receiver design should consider the safety features such as RAIM, anti-spoofing and provide high anti-jamming margins, which are the need of the day.

DRDO in the recent past attempted to

consolidate the requirement of GNSS receivers across the various applications on Land, Air and Sea, in the wake of IRNSS

expected to be operational soon. Though the requirements are very large in number to the tune of 40,000, all cannot be met

with a single configuration receiver.

The aerospace applications- Aircrafts, Helicopters, UAVs, etc require high-end GNSS receivers with IRNSS capability for precision navigation, guidance and control. The typical specifications include position accuracy of the order of <5m, velocity accuracy of <0.05m/sat an update rate of 10Hz to 1Hz. The accuracy has to be ensured under high dynamics of upto 10Km/s velocity, acceleration of the order of 50g and jerk of 20g/s. Another desirable and important aspect of the receiver is less Time-To-First-Fix, 30seconds typically in cold start mode. As compliance to DO-178B, qualification to MIL-STD and CEMILAC certification are to be accomplished prior to utilization, design has to cater to those requirements. There is a potential requirement of GNSS receivers for transport aircraft. Most of the air-borne applications necessitate the user-friendly interactive receivers with capability to accept and display the data base such as Navigation data base, worldwide land base map, Terrain Data, Obstacle data and Instrument approach charts. As GNSS receivers are widely used for precise timing applications, 1PPS output to an accuracy of less than 10ns is an essential requirement onboard aircraft.

Requirement in large volume exists for the Air launched weapons, wherein the size, volume and weight of the system need to be very small. Micro Aerial Vehicles do nowadays encompass a built-in low cost GNSS receiver which can be augmented with IRNSS. Handheld receivers are the most sought after and is approximately 40% of the total requirement. Most of the land applications demand miniaturized receiver of the size of typically 2cm x 2cm, with an ability to strap on

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52nd

Conference of Directors General of Civil Aviation

Asia and Pacific Regions

52nd Conference of Directors General of Civil Aviation,

Asia and Pacific Regions, was held at the Philippine

International Convention Centre (PICC) in Pasay City,

Metro Manila, Philippines from 26 to 30 October 2015.

The Conference successfully achieved its objectives with

the active involvement of States and the Industry

Partners.

The 52nd DGCA Conference adopted 33 Action Items.

States were urged to provide their responses to the

APAC Office preferably by 31 March 2016.

DP/3.3/23 Action Item 52/20 GNSS Technology: Taking

note of the emerging GNSS technology and adoption of

GAGAN/SBAS by India, the Conference urged States to:

a) adopt SBAS in the Asia Pacific Region as an enabler

for PBN operations; b) make use of existing GNSS/SBAS

technology in the Region. Civil Aviation Authority of Sri

Lanka will be hosting the 53rd Conference in Colombo,

Sri Lanka from 1 to 5 August 2016.

Navigation Systems Panel (NSP)

2nd

Navigation Systems Panel (NSP) meeting was held on

1st

to 11th

December 2015 at Montreal.

Major issues were addressed to finalise in the CONOPS

objectives as it encompasses a number of technical,

political, institutional, economical, legal, standardisation

and operational considerations.

CONOPS objective: States, manufacturers and airlines to

converge on an implementation option.

EUROCAE WG 62 and RTCA SC 159 WG 2 have been

invited to provide feedback of the 3 identified options.

Action: NSP CONOPS drafting group is invited to provide

feedback on the 3 options.

Recommendation: address SBAS approval status by States along with core constellation (section 10 of CONOPS)

Recommendation: ICAO to follow-up status of ANC/12 recommendation on States to publish approval status starting with GPS and GLONASS.

Recommendation : Assess the need to amend ICAO

Annex 15 (AIP’s)

29th

Interoperability Working Group

(IWG)

IWG 29 meeting was held on 21-22nd October 2015 at Washington D.C. SBAS Interoperability Working Group (IWG) provides a forum for SBAS providers to review SBAS status, discuss issues of interoperability and develop concepts for future Dual-Frequency Multiple Constellation (DFMC) user capabilities. It was discussed that the number of available SBAS PRNs were not sufficient to support the anticipated demand based on new system developments. Additional measures were discussed to efficiently, maximize allocation of current operational PRNs(120-138) and to expand the range of operational PRNs as soon as practical. IWG completed the initial version of the DFMC SBAS

Definition Document and the DFMC SBAS Interface

Control Document. These two documents capture the

DFMC SBAS concept definition and provide a basis for

standards development.

9

10

AAI sponsored an international paragliding event from 23 to 31 October 2015 at Dharmshala. A briefing was

conducted with the pilot about utilization of GAGAN signals for paragliding. In this regard M/s Accord software

system was coordinated to bring GAGAN receivers to install in the paragliding suits. Four receivers were installed

in different paragliding suits to record the enroute flying data. Subsequently data was analysed and imposed on

Google earth to validate the accuracy of GAGAN signals.

India hosts the first ever Paragliding World Cup

The event held at the magnificent Bir-Billing in Himachal Pradesh

The event was held at the magnificent Bir-Billing in Himachal Pradesh

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The IRNSS User meet was organized by Space Applications Centre (ISRO), Ahmadabad on 7 December 2015.

IRNSS (Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System) is a regional Indigenous satellite navigation system to

provide position accuracy better than 20 m over India and surrounding region. It consists of 7 satellites (3 GEO

and 4 GSO) and offers Standard Positioning Service (SPS) and Restricted Service (RS). Currently 4 satellites are

operational and thus IRNSS is capable to provide position fix.

In order to promote the Indigenous system, SAC has acquired about 100 units of receivers with hybrid

configuration of IRNSS-GPS-GAGAN for distribution to various organizations and academic institutes for

experimentation and field trials. Airports Authority of India was selected to receive 5 receivers (free of cost) for

the above purpose. The User Meet was intended to provide a common platform to all the stakeholders. The

objectives of User meet were:

1. Signing of MoU

2. Creating awareness regarding capabilities of IRNSS and GAGAN

3. Discussion regarding onsite receiver installation and commissioning.

4. Sensitizing users about the planned usage of receivers.

Mr. S. V. Satish, Executive Director, IT (Officiating), Mr. Tapan Misra, Director SAC (ISRO) and Mr. K. S. Parikh,

Deputy Director, SNAA, SAC (ISRO) at the IRNSS User meet

IRNSS USER MEET 2015

At Space Application Centre (ISRO), Ahmadabad on 7 December 2015

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Photo: Mr A.S.Ganeshan with AAI GAGAN Team

Mr. A.S. Ganeshan is an innovative scientist and visionary leader in the field of Satellite

Navigation in India. He has demonstrated an outstanding capability, particularly in

understanding basic principles of satellite navigation, proposing IRNSS and GAGAN concepts

back in 1996 and realising them as his life achievement through keen and pioneering

research, analysis, development and execution.

As Project Director and executive head for implementation of Satellite Based Augmentation

System-GAGAN (GPS Aided Geo Augmented Navigation) project over Indian FIR, he has

pioneered the activities of satellite-based navigation in India which includes IRS based data

product generation using GPS measurements, on ground and on-board. He has been

responsible for the realization of the vast ground and space segment , integration of the

systems and ensuring the availability of Signal in Space. He is responsible for the overall

execution of the project, starting from generation of RFP, review of proposals, selection of

vendor, contract finalization, integration of ground & space segments, schedule based

realization, realization of APV-1/1.5 service over Indian FIR, ensuring state of the art

equipments for India, implementation of region specific Ionosphere model (ISRO-MLDF) in the

operational system.

He handled multi disciplinary aspects, multi organizations and displayed great managerial

and organizational skills thus paving the way for the timely completion of the project.

He has several national/international publications to his credit. He has been representing

ISRO in several international meets.

Retirement farewell to GAGAN Project Director

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Smt. M. Sathiyavathy, IAS Director General of Civil Aviation, GOI

Visited GAGAN on 10th July 2015

“I am glad to visit this impressive facility put up by AAI

with the collaboration of ISRO. GAGAN project has put

India in the group of highly developed nations to use

Satellite navigation for aviation in the civil side. I only

hope our scheduled and general aviation start using this

facility at an early date. My congratulations & best

wishes to all the officers and scientists”

Dr. Shefali Juneja , IRS(IT) Director, Ministry of Civil Aviation, GOI Visited GAGAN on 23rd September 2015

“An excellent facility which showcases AAI efforts

towards precision navigation. We need to ensure its

being used in various fields to increase efficiency &

carbon emission.”

Ms. Mehnaz Ansari

USTDA South Asia Rep., US Embassy, New Delhi

“Extremely impressive facility and ideal showcase of

US-India partnership. USTDA values its long standing

partnership with AAI and we congratulate you for this

effort on GAGAN”

Mr. Phillip Min

U.S. Consul General for South India Visited GAGAN on 6th August 2015

“ Thank You for an incredible visit – Truly informational

& Inspiring in terms of the implications for India & the

World. Proud to have an American company, Raytheon,

involved with this important project ”

From GAGAN Visitor’s Diary

EDITORIAL TEAM

TECHNICAL GUIDANCE

A K DUTTA

Member (ANS), AAI

P K BANDYOPADYAY Executive Director (CNS-P), AAI

C R SUDHIR Executive Director (CNS- O & M), AAI

S V SATISH

Executive Director (AVIATION SAFETY), AAI

From AAI

L S R MOHANA RAO

Offctg. General Manager (CNS-GAGAN)

MOHAN LAL MALVI

Deputy General Manager (CNS-GAGAN)

A K TIWARI

Senior Manager (CNS-GAGAN)

BHARAT PRAJAPATI

Manager (ATC)

From ISRO

A KARTIK

Project Manager

From DGCA

A K BHARDWAJ

Director (ANS-Operations)

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We’re collecting testimonials about the benefits of GAGAN

navigation from users. If you are a pilot, passenger, airport

manager, controller, dispatcher, airline employee, or

involved in aviation in any capacity - whether you fly fixed-

wing or vertical flight aircraft - we want to hear from you!

Please send your experience, thoughts and contact

information to S V Satish at svsatish@aai.aero

Website for real time GAGAN Performance

www.gagan.aai.aero

Contact Operation Centre:

+91-80-28541455/56

inmccbg@aai.aero