ISRO initiated ‘Project NETRA’

[GS Paper 3 – Indian Space Technology]

ISRO initiates ‘Project NETRA’ to safeguard Indian Space Assets from debris and other harm to Indian Satellites This project is called to predict threats from debris in space to Indian Satellites. It is an early warning system.

This project will allow India’s own potentiality in Space Situational Awareness (SSA)

What is Project NETRA?

• Project NETRA stands for  Network for space object Tracking and Analysis.

• With countries launching more and more satellites, each one of them being a strategic or commercial asset, avoiding collisions could become a challenge in the future. For protecting its space assets, the ISRO was forced to perform 19 Collision Avoidance Maneuvers (CAM) in 2021.

• Under Project NETRA, ISRO is set to put up observational facilities, such as Connected radars,optical telescopes, data processing units, and a control center.

• NETRA’s ultimate goal is to capture geostationary orbit, closely at 36000 km at which a communication satellite operates.

• It is estimated to cost around Rs. 400 crores. ISRO SSA control center is set up within the ISTRAC campus at Peenya.

Significance of the Project

• The project is designed such that the features can track particles as minute as 10cm, up to a range of 3400km, and equal to a space orbit of 2000km.

• The NETRA effort would make India a part of international efforts towards tracking, warning about and mitigating space debris.

• More importantly, the SSA also has a military quotient to it and adds a new ring to the country’s overall security, against attacks from air, space or sea.

Space Situational Awareness(SSA):

• SSA is aimed at tracking debris, minute particles in space that could be hazardous to the existing satellites. It aims to monitor, track and protect space assets.

• ISRO’s efforts towards space situational awareness (SSA) is coordinated by the SSA Control Centre in Bengaluru and managed by the Directorate of Space Situational Awareness and Management at the ISRO headquarters.

• At present, India receives all space information about the debris from North American Aerospace Defence Command (NORAD).

• NORAD is a joint initiative by the US and Canada. The data by NORAD is available in public domain

ISRO:

• The Indian Space Research Organization is a national space agency of India It operates under the Department of Space and is overseen by the Prime Minister of India.

• ISRO’s vision is to harness space tech while pursuing space science research and planetary exploration.

• Antrix Corporation Limited (ACL) is the marketing arm of ISRO Currently ISRO has 50 functional satellites in space.

Download as PDF