Now planes will land safely even in poor visibility:Satellite signal enables first commercial jet landing in India

Now planes will be able to land safely even in poor visibility. Because, for the first time in India, a successful trial has been conducted to safely land a large commercial jet directly using satellite signals without ground radio beams. On June 27, under the supervision of aviation regulator DGCA, IndiGo Airlines’ Airbus A320 aircraft made this historic landing using the indigenous ‘GAGAN’ navigation system. Although IndiGo had tested it on smaller ATR aircraft in 2022, this is the first successful trial in the country with a large commercial jet. What is the indigenous GAGAN system? The full name of GAGAN is ‘GPS Aided GEO Augmented Navigation’. It is India’s own Satellite-Based Augmentation System (SBAS), jointly developed by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and the Airports Authority of India (AAI). Key Feature: GAGAN is not an independent navigation system like India’s NavIC or America’s GPS that directly determines location. Instead, it corrects the errors and inaccuracies of existing GPS signals, making them much more precise and reliable for aircraft. Understand the GAGAN system through 5 questions and answers: Question: What is the indigenous GAGAN system? Answer: The full name of GAGAN is ‘GPS Aided GEO Augmented Navigation’. It is India’s own Satellite-Based Augmentation System (SBAS), jointly developed by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and the Airports Authority of India (AAI). GAGAN is not an independent navigation system like India’s NavIC or America’s GPS that directly determines location. Instead, it corrects the errors and inaccuracies of existing GPS signals, making them much more precise and reliable for aircraft. Question: How is satellite landing different from traditional systems? Answer: Generally, the Instrument Landing System (ILS) is used to land aircraft at large and major airports. Under this system, expensive ground-based equipment and radio beams are installed around the runway, which guide the pilot along the precise path to the runway. In contrast, the test conducted on June 27 utilized a Satellite-Based Landing System (SLS). This technology does not require heavy ground-based infrastructure; instead, satellites in space directly guide the aircraft. Passengers on board did not feel this change at all, but in terms of aviation safety and cost, it is a highly revolutionary shift. Question: Why can this technology be a game-changer for small airports? Answer: Many airports in India’s small and secondary cities do not have ILS systems installed. This is due to its massive installation cost and the high monthly maintenance expenses. With the introduction of the satellite-guided system, precise and safe landings can now be carried out at these small airports even during bad weather or low visibility. According to aviation giant ‘Airbus’, this technology helps pilots establish a stable and straight approach even in bad weather without any additional airport equipment. It will also serve as an excellent backup during main system failures or maintenance. Question: Why can’t a smartphone GPS land a plane? Answer: The GPS in our smartphones provides accuracy up to a few meters, which is fine for finding directions on the road but not enough to safely land a fast-moving commercial aircraft emerging from the clouds onto a runway. When GPS signals travel from space to the ground, they experience slight delays and distortions due to the upper layer of the atmosphere (the ionosphere). Over India, this distortion changes even more rapidly because our country lies directly beneath the Equatorial Ionization Anomaly. For precise landings, aircraft not only require highly accurate data but also a guarantee that the data being received is 100% correct. Question: Will this facility be available at more than 40 airports this year? Answer: IndiGo is now rapidly implementing this satellite-based technology across its entire fleet. The Airports Authority of India (AAI) has already published 23 satellite-guided approach procedures at several airports across the country, and this number is expected to cross 40 by the end of this year. According to ISRO, the GAGAN system has two main objectives: first, to make civil aviation extremely safe and precise, and second, to improve air traffic management by flying aircraft on direct and shorter routes, thereby saving fuel. This system has been designed in compliance with international standards, allowing aircraft to navigate seamlessly even when crossing international borders. This first successful landing of a commercial jet is a major step toward making India’s rapidly growing aviation network more accessible and safer.