Navigation with Indian Constellation (NavIC)

IRNSS

  • Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System (IRNSS).
  • IRNSS(NavIC)  is an independent regional navigation satellite system designed by ISRO to provide position information in the Indian region and 1500 km around the Indian mainland.

IRNSS would provide two types of services:

  1. Standard Positioning Services available to all users.
  2. Restricted Services provided to authorised users.

NavIC is a regional system and so its constellation will consist of 7 satellites

  • 4 geosynchronous satellites in the Earth’s Atmosphere in pairs, move in two inclined orbits and appear from the ground to travel in Figure 8 – Assist in accurate position determination.
  • 3 will be Geostationary Orbit – appearing from the ground to be fixed positions in the sky.

NAVIC

Applications:

  • Terrestrial, Aerial and Marine Navigation.
  • Disaster Management.
  • Vehicle tracking and fleet management.
  • Integration with mobile phones.
  • Precise Timing.
  • Mapping and Geodetic data capture.
  • Terrestrial navigation aid for hikers and travellers.
  • Visual and voice navigation for drivers.
Significance
  • National security
  • Reliability
  • Accuracy
  • Disaster management
  • South Asian and Regional cooperation

Other Satellite Navigation Systems:

          Global Positioning System (GPS):

  • Initiated in 1978 and achieved global coverage in 1995 and is owned by the United States government and operated by the United States Air Force.
  • It consists of 24 to 32 medium Earth orbit satellites in six different orbital planes.|

    Global Navigation Satellite System (GLONASS)
  • Operated by Roscosmos, a state corporation responsible for the space flight and cosmonautics program for the Russian Federation.
  • It became operational in 1982 and achieved global coverage in 1996, and again in 2011 (after the system had fallen into disrepair).
  • It has full global coverage with 24 satellites.

    GALILEO

  • It was initiated in 2005 by the European Space Agency and projected to provide global coverage by 2020 with 30 satellites.

    Quasi-Zenith Satellite System (QZSS)

  • It is operated by the Japanese government.
  • It is a four-satellite regional time transfer system and enhancement for GPS covering Japan and the Asia-Oceania regions.
  • Its services have been available on a trial basis since January 2018.
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