Indian GPS system for air-traffic control to wait

India’s dream of putting a Global Positioning System of its own in space to help in commercial aircraft navigation may have to wait for two more years. Sources in Indian Space Research Organisation said the Geo-Augmented Navigation (GAGAN) payload onboard the GSAT4, which was launched by Isro on April 15, did not make it into orbit because of the failure of the GeoSynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV) mission.
A technical glitch in the indigenously developed cryogenic engine led to the GSLV rocket with the satellite crashing into the Bay of Bengal. “We will be launching two more GAGAN payloads, one each on two geostationary satellites, GSAT-8 and GSAT-10,” a senior Isro scientist told Deccan Chronicle. “But we are yet to finalise the launch schedules.”
However, it is almost certain that these payloads will have to wait till the scientists at the Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre at Mahendragiri near Kanyakumari prove beyond doubt the reliability of the Indian-built cryogenic engine.
29/07/10 Deccan Chronicle

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Categories: Airports Jul 2010, New Jul 2010