AIRCRAFT CAN LAND WITH EASE AND ACCURACY
ON APRIL 28, 2016,
India launched the seventh and final satellite to create its own satellite navigation system to be known as NAVIC or Navigation with Indian Constellation, thus joining an elite group of nations having their own satellite navigation systems. The United States has NAVSTAR global positioning system (GPS), Russia has GLONASS, the European Union has Galileo and China will have BeiDou by 2020.
The Indian system–previously called the Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System (IRNSS)–was designed to provide accurate position information to users in India and as far as 1,500 kilometres (932 miles) from its borders. The satellites will be able to track the location and position of vehicles, provide information during natural disasters and integrated with mobile phones for navigation and other location services. It will provide two kinds of services: one which is open source and another which is restricted and strongly encrypted, provided only to “authorised users,” according to Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). ter invited other countries to make use of this system as well. “We have seven neighbours who rely on technology provided by other countries. They can use Indian services if they want,” he said in a video message addressed to ISRO engineers. The Prime Minister appreciated India’s space community for making the country proud through such achievements which have helped in improving the life of common man. With an accuracy of better than 20 m being claimed by ISRO, the navigation system will be offered as an open or Standard Positioning Service and a superior, coded military Restricted Service. “We are now one of five countries with our own navigational system. Today we are free of dependence on other countries for navigation. Our planes will be able to land with ease and accuracy, we can plan disaster relief better and with our own technology,” the Prime Minister said.
Explaining the name NAVIC, Modi said the system was dedicated to India’s mariners and fishermen who have been navigating using the sun and stars as waypoints for hundreds of years. “They have shown strength and determination in venturing out to sea for so many years. We have named this system for them, the ‘Naviks’ (mariners).”