Assam gets ISRO radar facility to track objects in space

The brief in 6 cards

1. Context1 / 6
   • On 21 September 2026, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma laid the foundation stone of the ISTRAC Advanced Radar Research Facility (IARRF).
   • It is at Chandrapur in Kamrup Metropolitan district, near Guwahati.
   • ISTRAC is the ISRO Telemetry, Tracking and Command Network, the part of ISRO that tracks and controls satellites.
   • The facility is part of Project NETRA, ISRO's programme to watch objects in space.
   • ISRO Chairman V. Narayanan attended the ceremony.
2. Key highlights2 / 6

   What it will have: Advanced radar systems and optical telescopes to monitor satellites and other objects in space.

   Why it matters: It will help protect India's satellites from collisions and other threats.

   Land from an old power plant: Assam has given about 200 bighas at the former Chandrapur Thermal Power Station site. That is roughly 67 acres.

   Two roles: The CM said ISRO proposed the site for research on both space and atmospheric phenomena.

   First radar by February: A radar for cloud research is expected by February 2027. The CM said it will help study weather in Assam and the region.

   Long preparation: ISRO's annual report says the land transfer began in November 2023. Final registration was completed on 7 November 2025.

3. Key concepts3 / 6
   1. Space Situational Awareness (SSA)

   • SSA means knowing what is in orbit, where it is and where it is heading.
   • Analogy: it works like air traffic control for space. Controllers track every plane, so none collide.
   • SSA helps satellite operators get warnings and move a satellite out of danger in time.
   • Project NETRA (Network for Space Object Tracking and Analysis) is ISRO's SSA programme. Its key parts are radars, optical telescopes and a control centre.
   • ISRO set up its SSA Control Centre in Bengaluru in 2020.

   News connection: The Chandrapur facility adds new radars and telescopes to India's space-watching network.

   2. Space debris

   • Space debris is human-made junk in orbit that no longer serves any purpose.
   • It includes dead satellites, spent rocket stages, and fragments from collisions or explosions.
   • Debris travels at several kilometres per second. At that speed, even a tiny fragment can badly damage a working satellite.
   • Analogy: a pebble thrown by hand is harmless, but the same pebble fired from a gun can pierce metal.

   News connection: Tracking debris is one of the main jobs the new facility will support.

   3. The Kessler syndrome

   • The Kessler syndrome is a chain reaction in orbit. One collision creates debris, which causes more collisions, which create still more debris.
   • NASA scientist Donald Kessler described the risk in 1978.
   • Analogy: a pile-up on a foggy highway. One crash causes the next, and the road becomes impassable.
   • In the worst case, some orbits could become too dangerous to use for years.

   News connection: Better tracking helps operators avoid the first collisions that could start such a chain.

   4. Radar versus optical tracking

   • A radar sends out radio waves and detects the echo from an object. It works day and night, and through clouds.
   • An optical telescope sees sunlight reflected by an object. It needs clear, dark skies, but it can see objects much farther away.
   • Low Earth orbit (LEO) lies below about 2,000 km. It is the most crowded region and is well suited to radar.
   • Geostationary orbit (GEO) is about 36,000 km up. Objects there are usually tracked by optical telescopes.

   News connection: Having both radars and telescopes lets the facility cover objects in near and far orbits.

4. Way forward4 / 6

   Build the full network: Connect Chandrapur with other Indian radars and telescopes, so objects can be tracked continuously.

   Design debris-free missions: Plan every satellite to leave orbit safely at the end of its life.

   Share data globally: Exchange tracking data with other space agencies, since debris threatens every country's satellites.

5. Note5 / 6

   India's space-watching system

   Project NETRA: ISRO's programme for tracking and analysing objects in space.

   SSA Control Centre, Bengaluru: The hub for tracking, orbit calculation and collision warnings, set up in 2020.

   IS4OM: The ISRO System for Safe and Sustainable Space Operations Management, which oversees safe operations in orbit.

   Multi-Object Tracking Radar: A radar at Sriharikota that can track several objects at once.

   Annual assessment report: ISRO publishes the Indian Space Situational Assessment Report (ISSAR) on the state of India's space environment.

   Debris-Free Space Missions (DFSM): ISRO's aim for Indian missions to leave no debris behind by 2030.

6. Note6 / 6

   The rules of space

   Outer Space Treaty (1967): The foundation of space law. Space is free for all countries to explore, and no country can claim it. India is a party.

   Liability Convention (1972): A country is liable for damage caused by its space objects.

   UN debris guidelines: The UN Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (COPUOS) has issued voluntary guidelines to reduce debris.

   IADC: The Inter-Agency Space Debris Coordination Committee brings space agencies together on debris. ISRO is a member.

   A gap in the rules: Most debris guidelines are voluntary. No binding global law requires countries to clean up their debris.

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