India's Isro gets ready for threats from space debris
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New Delhi: India's space organisation will fight out the threats its space assets are facing from increasing space debris in the Low Earth Orbit (LEO) by employing a facility called the System for Safe & Sustainable Operation, according to India Today.
The facility inaugurated in Bengaluru will help manage the debris from increasing number of satellites, rockets and other space hardware being launched from around the world.
India Space Research Organisation (Isro) is taking necessary measures to safeguards its space assets from intentional and accidental close approaches by space debris and operational spacecraft, according to Dr Jitendra Singh, Minister of Science & Technology.
The new facility will alert Isro about "probabilities of in-orbit collisions, fragmentation, atmospheric re-entry risk, space-based strategic information, hazardous asteroids" alongside offering space weather forecasts.
The new facility reportedly will help the agency identify and monitor close approaches of operational spacecraft with suspicious motives and monitor their re-entry within the Indian region, the report further said.
As well as safeguarding Indian space assets, the IS4OM facility can reduce collision threats from space objects, thanks to its collision avoidance manoueuvres.
Isro chief S Somnath expanded on the importance of having tracking facility adding that detection and prevention of asteroid impacts are essential for human welfare.
The Indian space agency is an active member of international organisations including the Inter-Agency Space Debris Coordination Committee (IDAC), and IAF Space Debris Working Group, among others, contributing to the space debris studies and space situational awareness, according to the report.