GPS Aided GEO Augmented Navigation (GAGAN)

Why in News?

In June 2026, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) successfully conducted India’s first satellite-based landing system approach on a commercial jet aircraft using GAGAN. The achievement marks an important advancement in India’s indigenous satellite-based aviation navigation capabilities.

About GAGAN

GAGAN (GPS Aided GEO Augmented Navigation) is an indigenous Satellite-Based Augmentation System (SBAS) jointly developed by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and the Airports Authority of India (AAI). It improves the accuracy of GPS signals and provides integrity information, enabling safer and more precise aircraft navigation and landing.

GAGAN has been fully operational since 2015, making India one of the few countries with an operational SBAS. It is also the first SBAS certified for the equatorial region.

GAGAN operates through 15 Indian Reference Stations, two Indian Master Control Centres and three Indian Land Uplink Stations. Its navigation signals are supported by three geostationary satellites carrying GAGAN payloads—GSAT-8, GSAT-10 and GSAT-15.

The system receives GPS signals at reference stations, calculates corrections and integrity information, and broadcasts these enhanced signals through geostationary satellites to users. This improves the accuracy and reliability of satellite-based navigation.

GAGAN is interoperable with international augmentation systems such as the US WAAS, Europe’s EGNOS and Japan’s MSAS.

GAGAN and NavIC

GAGAN complements NavIC, but the two systems serve different primary purposes. NavIC is India’s regional satellite navigation system that provides positioning, navigation and timing services over India and approximately 1,500 km beyond its boundaries. GAGAN, on the other hand, augments GPS signals to provide the high accuracy and integrity required particularly for civil aviation.

Applications

Beyond aviation, GAGAN technology has potential applications in maritime navigation, road transport, railways, disaster management, defence, telecommunications, surveying and mapping.

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