AI shield against space debris; IIT student's 'Drishti' wins praise

New Delhi: A fourth-year aerospace engineering student at IIT Kharagpur has developed an artificial intelligence-based system to help satellites avoid dangerous space debris within seconds, potentially preventing costly damage to vital orbital infrastructure that supports GPS, communications, and disaster response.

The system, named 'DRISHTI: AI Guardian for Sustainable Orbits', was developed by Navi Mumbai-based Adeetya Uppal and won first prize at the Viasat: Space for Good India Challenge 2026, organised by satellite communications company Viasat in partnership with the Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre (IN-SPACe). Uppal received a prize of Rs 5 lakh to further develop the concept.

Conventional collision-warning procedures can take hours as human operators assess approaching debris and calculate alternative trajectories. This delay can increase collision risks and waste valuable satellite fuel.

DRISHTI aims to automate the process by identifying threatening space debris, calculating optimal avoidance manoeuvres and transmitting real-time collision-avoidance commands through Viasat's satellite network. The company says the system could reduce response times from hours to seconds while conserving fuel.

Uppal's concept emerged from his research into autonomous spacecraft proximity operations, which examines how spacecraft navigate and operate safely near other objects. Viasat engineer Ganesh Ramalingam mentored him during the competition.

However, DRISHTI remains a concept awaiting further development. Its AI training data and performance under actual orbital conditions have not been publicly detailed. Demonstrating its reliability in real-world space operations remains a major challenge.