Transponders on lease for GAGAN pilot project: Patel

New Delhi : Government is hiring transponders on some satellites for the pilot launch of the GPS-aided Geo Augmented Navigation (GAGAN) project for seamless navigation over Indian airspace.
"Transponders will be taken on lease for the pilot launch of GAGAN," Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel told the Lok Sabha replying to supplementaries during the Question Hour.
Patel said a dedicated satellite will be launched later to service the full-fledged GAGAN system.
GAGAN will ensure safer traffic flow in the Indian skies, he said. India would be be the fourth country in the world to have a satellite based navigation system.The government had last year approved a proposal by the Airports Authority of India (AAI) and ISRO for the GAGAN at an estimated project cost of around Rs 774 crore.
In 1993, the International Civil Aviation Organisation had endorsed a Global Satellite Navigation System as the future air navigation system for the aviation industry, following which the AAI and ISRO entered into a memorandum of understanding in 2001 for implementation of the GAGAN project.
26/02/09 SamayLive

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Categories: Airports Feb 2009, Indian Aviation- In General Feb 2009, New Feb 2009