FAA Satellite Navigation Program Overview

Daniel Hanlon and Kanwaljit Sandhoo

Abstract:	This paper presents an overview of the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA’s) Satellite Navigation Program. The emergence of satellite-based technology offers significant economic and safety benefits to the entire aviation community. This has caused the FAA to reevaluate its plan for the evolution of its navigation and landing systems. Currently, the Global Positioning System (GPS) is approved as a primary means of navigation in U.S. oceanic airspace. In the U.S. domestic airspace, GPS is approved as a supplemental means of navigation in all phases of flight except precision approach. The FAA is pursuing the development of the Wide Area Augmentation System (WAAS) for all phases of flight through Category I precision approach and the Local Area Augmentation System (LAAS) for Category II and III approaches. The LAAS may also be needed to support Category I precision approaches at a small number of airports whose specific location make it difficult to use the WAAS because of terrain blockage. The FAA has awarded the contract for the development of WAAS and is working aggressively to commission the WAAS-based Category I precision approach capability by 1999. The WAAS is planned to be fully operational as a primary means of navigation for all phases of flight through Category I precision approach by 2002. The feasibility of LAAS-based Category II and III approaches has also been established, with a target for initial operational deployment in 2001 and full operational deployment at all Category II or III ILS airports by 2005. The instrument approach procedures, certification standards, and air t.ratTic regulations are being developed to facilitate operational implementation of WAAS and LAAS as an integral part of the National Airspace System (NAS). Also, in response to the strategic vision for the future use of GPS, as outlined in the Presidential Directive Document, a number of activities have been initiated to mitigate the operational risks and to make the augmented GPS more robust for seamless global navigation. All these programs and initiatives undertaken by the FAA, will enable satellite navigation to become a primary means of navigation and landing for all phases of flight and will improve the safety, efficiency, and the capacity of the National Airspace System (NAS).
Published in:	Proceedings of the 53rd Annual Meeting of The Institute of Navigation (1997) June 30 - 2, 1997 Albuquerque, NM
Pages:	49 - 56
Cite this article:	Hanlon, Daniel, Sandhoo, Kanwaljit, "FAA Satellite Navigation Program Overview," Proceedings of the 53rd Annual Meeting of The Institute of Navigation (1997), Albuquerque, NM, June 1997, pp. 49-56.
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