NavIC

Why in news?

• India is pushing tech giants to make their smartphones compatible with its NavIC system.

What is NavIC?

• NavIC (NAVigation with Indian Constellation) or the Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System (IRNSS) is an autonomous regional satellite navigation system, that provides accurate real-time positioning and timing services.
• It is developed by ISRO

Features:

• It consists of three Geostationary Earth Orbit (GEO) satellites and four geosynchronous orbit (GCO) satellites.
• Orbit altitude: 36,000 km
• It will provide two types of services:
  • Standard Positioning Services (SPS), which will be provided to all users.
  • Restricted Services – (RS), which will grant access only to authorised users (primarily military).

Accuracy:

• IRNSS will have the precision of 10-20 meters for civilian use.
• It is expected that Military will have more precision.
• GPS has 5 meters coverage for civilian use.

Range:

• It covers India and a region extending 1,500 km around it.

Where is NavIC used currently?

• Currently, NavIC’s use is limited. It is being used in
  • Public vehicle tracking in India
  • For providing emergency warning alerts to fishermen venturing into the deep sea where there is no terrestrial network connectivity
  • For tracking and providing information related to natural disasters.

How does NavIC work compared to other satellite navigation systems?

• The main difference is the serviceable area covered by these systems.
• GPS caters to users across the globe and its satellites circle the earth twice a day while NavIC is currently for use in India and adjacent areas.
• Moreover, like GPS, there are three more navigation systems that have a global coverage
  • Galileo - European Union
  • Russia-owned GLONASS
  • China - Beidou.
• QZSS operated by Japan is another regional navigation system covering the Asia-Oceania region with a focus on Japan.

Why is India promoting NavIC?

• India says NavIC is conceived with the aim of removing dependence on foreign satellite systems for navigation service requirements, particularly for strategic sectors.
• Relying on systems like GPS and GLONASS may not always be reliable as those are operated by the defence agencies of respective nations, and it is possible that civilian services can be degraded or denied.

PRACTICE QUESTION

Consider the following statements regarding NavIC/ IRNSS:

1.It uses Geostationary and Geosynchronous satellites only.

2.It will be used exclusively for civilian uses.

Choose the correct statements from the codes given below:

(a)1 only

(b)2 only

(c)Both 1 and 2

(d)Neither 1 nor 2

                               A

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