On April 13, 2023, a Bengaluru-based space technology firm named Elena Geo Systems unveiled a chip that could form the core of navigation, positioning and timing applications in India.
The chip works using Navigation with Indian Constellation (NavIC) or the Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System (IRNSS) satellites.
The founder of the Elena Geo Systems, Lieutenant Colonel VS Velan, handed over the chip to Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) General Anil Chauhan in the presence of the chairman of the DRDO, V Kamat and Chief of Air Staff Air Marshal Vivek Ram Chaudhari.
The chip has many cores that serve the requirements of signal acquisition, regeneration and processing and output interface; hence it is called NavIC.
This will enable high precision and accuracy for all three types of applications such as navigation, positioning and timing. thus, helping India in becoming self-reliant in this domain. The company has been pursuing advanced technologies to manufacture chips and modules.
Some of these chips were sent to the Indian Army and the rest to other private entities.
The Chief Technology Officer of Elena Geo Systems, Lieutenant Colonel Velan said- “We are thrilled to present India’s fully designed NavIC chip. As India moves ahead with its space policy, we believe that it is an opportune time to use a truly Indian product.
The processor will give a huge boost to India as both the government and private sector companies can move away from their dependence on American Global Positioning Systems. Elena is in the process of patenting technology and product which has been developed by our dedicated R&D team.”
The multi-frequency and multi-constellation Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) chip and processor, developed especially for the NavIC is compact and easy to integrate into any GNSS circuit and will provide continuous coverage and high-accuracy reception to the user.
It is based on a special algorithm for use across India and neighbouring countries. The chip conforms to the requirement laid down by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) for IRNSS and NavIC signal reception.
Apart from the military-grade, this chip can be used in a wide array of applications on land, sea and air. For the defence forces, the chip can be used in handheld devices for operational logistics like ships, submarines, drones, radars, artillery and weapon platforms
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