BANGALORE, India, Nov. 16 -- Raytheon Co. has signed a contract with the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) Satellite Center for the ground-based elements of the global positioning system (GPS) and geostationary earth orbit augmented navigation technology demonstration system (GAGAN-TDS). The contract, terms of which were not disclosed, was signed recently in Bangalore.
GAGAN-TDS, a cooperative effort between Raytheon and ISRO, "will usher in a new era in civil navigation through use of the space-based augmentation system," Raytheon said. It said GAGAN, which has been endorsed by the International Civil Aviation Organization, will also augment the standard positioning signals from GPS satellites with an additional signal to improve the accuracy, integrity, continuity and availability of the aircraft receiver and will increase safety and efficiency by allowing precision approaches to all airports and direct routing between destinations.
The Airports Authority of India is collaborating with ISRO on the project and will place the commissioned system in operation. Other modes of transportation, such as rail, maritime and road traffic, will also be able to use the signal.
Raytheon will develop the hardware and software for the ground-based elements of GAGAN: eight Indian reference stations, an Indian master control center and an Indian land uplink station. All the subsystems will be integrated through a digital communication system, which ISRO will supply, and the correction messages will be broadcast from a geosynchronous satellite to be launched by ISRO will launch. Raytheon will base its design on the Wide Area Augmentation System, which was commissioned by the US Federal Aviation Administration in July 2003.
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