India to have satellite navigation by 2012

A constellation of seven satellites will be positioned in space by 2012 to meet the navigational requirements of cars, trains and aircraft in India, Chairman of Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) G Madhavan Nair said.

The Rs 16 billion Indian Regional Navigation System (IRNS) is designed to inform drivers of cars, trucks and buses about their precise location in the country and also guide them along the network of highways supported by the Global Positioning System (GPS). The navigation system will also help train drivers and pilots.

“Design of the satellites is more or less complete. We are in the process of building the first proto model”, said Nair on the sidelines of prestigious second meeting of the International Committee on Global Navigation Satellite Systems being held in Bangalore.

The launch of the first among the seven satellites is scheduled around 2010. “We should be able to complete all the satellites by 2012”, he said. All the seven satellites will be geo-stationary, which means they will be stationary in relation to any point on earth. “They would be positioned in space above India to provide an all-country coverage”, he said.

According to ISRO’s Deputy Director S Pal, the IRNS aims to provide an accuracy of 20 metres.

Though the GPS of the United States, which has a constellation of 24 orbiting satellites, has a global coverage, the Indian Regional Navigation System will be confined to cover India. “Seven such satellites are adequate to provide all-India coverage”, he said.

When the entire constellation of seven satellites is in space, a positional accuracy similar to GPS will be provided for 2,000 kms across the country, the ISRO official said.