As India takes more steps forward to combat the problem of space debris, around 60 new startups have registered with the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) since the “unlocking of space sector”.
Many of them are working in debris management, said Jitender Singh, Union Minister of State, Science and Technology, Atomic Energy and Space on Monday, while inaugurating the ISRO system for safe and sustainable space operations management (IS4OM) at ISRO Control Centre, in Peenya.
The new facility will help the country in space situational awareness (SSA) and space traffic management.
In 1952 the amount of space debris was only two, but today the number has crossed 25,000, the Minister revealed. “This is a timely launch,” he said, adding that as the amount of space debris increases, this system will provide timely, accurate, and efficient information on on-orbit collision, fragmentation, atmospheric re-entry risk, space-based strategic information, hazardous asteroids, and space weather forecast.
Citing the recent incidents of space debris falls in Gujarat and Maharashtra, both Mr. Singh and Secretary, Department of Space and Chairman of ISRO S. Somanath spoke about how the continuous monitoring of debris with the new system will help ISRO warn people about such incidents accurately.
Mr. Somanath said, “This is our first step towards sustainable space activity. We will continue strengthening our manpower, analytical databases, and other resources. To tackle the problem of space debris, we need our own data of our space objects as well as those of other countries”.
Along with observation of space objects, IS4OM will also safeguard India’s operational space assets. Mr. Somanath added that the issue of space debris is a global problem and all the big nations are coming together to solve it.
He mentioned that other nations are also cooperating in this project and when a space debris is returned to Earth, it will be given back to the respective countries when they make a claim.
Mr. Singh also said that strategic applications of SSA will include identification and monitoring of other operational spacecrafts with close approaches which have overpasses over Indian regions and those who conduct intentional manoeuvres with suspicious motives and seek a re-entry within the region.
Speaking about the newly emerged space startups, the Minister said that these companies have proposals which vary from nano-satellite, launch vehicle, ground systems, and research.
“Startups which are working towards space debris management are also working on mechanisms like towing away and re-fuelling and refunctioning of objects in space to help manage the traffic in space. In this direction, the public private partnership (PPP) model will help augment the development of space sector in the country,” Mr. Singh said.
