Satellite navigation and SouthPAN
Channel: GeoscienceAustralia
Date: 2022-11-17

Satellite navigation is an important capability in our modern lives. We use it to find the nearest petrol station, order food at home, and track an arriving package. Accurate satellite-enabled positioning and timing technology is becoming vital in many sectors of the economy, including transport, agriculture, resources, and utilities. On behalf of the Australian government and in partnership with New Zealand, Geoscience Australia is improving satellite navigation capability for everyone with the Southern Positioning Augmentation Network, or SouthPAN.  SouthPAN is a Satellite-Based Augmentation System (SBAS) that will use spacecraft, ground sensors, and other infrastructure to broadcast corrections that complement existing Global Navigation Satellite Systems—like GPS, for example. SouthPAN services commenced on 26 September 2022 and will be progressively improved in the coming years, ultimately being used in their most critical application: by aircrafts to support landing at airports and aerodromes.