UPSC Prelims Practice Questions — GAGAN: Navigating India’s Skies with Precision
Q1. The ground segment of GAGAN comprises Indian Reference Stations (INRES), Indian Master Control Centres (INMCC) and Indian Land Uplink Stations (INLUS). Which one of these categories of ground facilities is the largest in number?
- A. Indian Reference Stations (INRES)
- B. Indian Master Control Centres (INMCC)
- C. Indian Land Uplink Stations (INLUS)
- D. Geostationary uplink terminals
Q2. GAGAN navigation payloads have been carried on how many GSAT geostationary satellites (GSAT-8, GSAT-10 and GSAT-15)?
- A. Two
- B. Three
- C. Four
- D. Five
Q3. GAGAN has been developed jointly by ISRO and which one of the following bodies, which also operates it for civil aviation under the Ministry of Civil Aviation?
- A. Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA)
- B. Airports Authority of India (AAI)
- C. Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS)
- D. Indian Air Force (IAF)
Q4. Consider the following statements regarding the institutional roles behind GAGAN:
1. Its core technical development was led by ISRO, while its civil-aviation deployment is handled by the Airports Authority of India.
2. GAGAN was developed wholly indigenously without the involvement of any foreign contractor.
3. The Airports Authority of India functions under the Ministry of Civil Aviation.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
- Its core technical development was led by ISRO, while its civil-aviation deployment is handled by the Airports Authority of India.
- GAGAN was developed wholly indigenously without the involvement of any foreign contractor.
- The Airports Authority of India functions under the Ministry of Civil Aviation.
- A. 1 and 2 only
- B. 1 and 3 only
- C. 2 and 3 only
- D. 1, 2 and 3
Q5. GAGAN signals were certified for APV-1 (Approach with Vertical Guidance, Level 1) precision approach services by which one of the following authorities?
- A. International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO)
- B. Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA)
- C. Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO)
- D. Airports Authority of India (AAI)
Q6. GAGAN holds the global distinction of being the first Satellite-Based Augmentation System certified for Approach with Vertical Guidance (APV) operations in which one of the following regions?
- A. Polar region
- B. Mid-latitude region
- C. Equatorial ionospheric region
- D. Arctic auroral region
Q7. The June 2026 GAGAN milestone widely reported in the news marked India's first of which one of the following?
- A. Satellite-based landing on a commercial aircraft using GAGAN
- B. Launch of a dedicated GAGAN navigation satellite
- C. Installation of an indigenous ground-based Instrument Landing System
- D. Export of the GAGAN signal to a foreign flight information region
Q8. Consider the following statements comparing GAGAN-based LPV approaches with conventional precision approaches:
1. GAGAN-enabled LPV approaches allow aircraft to land without a ground-based Instrument Landing System (ILS).
2. GAGAN-based LPV approaches can lower the decision height to as low as 250 ft.
3. GAGAN-based approach procedures are designed and published by ISRO rather than by the Airports Authority of India.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
- GAGAN-enabled LPV approaches allow aircraft to land without a ground-based Instrument Landing System (ILS).
- GAGAN-based LPV approaches can lower the decision height to as low as 250 ft.
- GAGAN-based approach procedures are designed and published by ISRO rather than by the Airports Authority of India.
- A. 1 and 2 only
- B. 1 and 3 only
- C. 2 and 3 only
- D. 1, 2 and 3
Q9. Among GAGAN's identified non-aviation applications, lane guidance, traffic management and speed control are envisaged primarily for which one of the following sectors?
- A. Railways
- B. Road transport
- C. Maritime navigation
- D. Precision agriculture
Q10. Consider the following statements about global Satellite-Based Augmentation Systems (SBAS) with which GAGAN is inter-operable:
1. WAAS is the SBAS operated by the United States.
2. EGNOS is the SBAS serving Europe.
3. MSAS is the SBAS operated by Russia.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
- WAAS is the SBAS operated by the United States.
- EGNOS is the SBAS serving Europe.
- MSAS is the SBAS operated by Russia.
- A. 1 and 2 only
- B. 1 and 3 only
- C. 2 and 3 only
- D. 1, 2 and 3
Q11. The ionospheric correction model (ISRO GIVE Model–Multi-Layer Data Fusion, IGM-MLDF) that underpins GAGAN's integrity in the equatorial region was developed by which one of the following?
- A. Airports Authority of India (AAI)
- B. Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO)
- C. Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA)
- D. Raytheon
Q12. GAGAN, India's indigenous SBAS, was developed at an estimated cost of how many crore rupees?
- A. Rs. 574 crore
- B. Rs. 674 crore
- C. Rs. 774 crore
- D. Rs. 874 crore