Reference:

• The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has released the Indian Space Situational Assessment Report (ISSAR) 2024.

Key Points:

• This report has been prepared by ISRO’s Integrated Space Situational Awareness and Management system (IS4OM), which aims to ensure the protection of national space assets from space debris, natural hazards, and other risks.

Global Space Activities:

• Launch Statistics: In 2024, there were 261 launch attempts globally, out of which 254 were successful. These placed 2,578 new operational satellites into orbit.
• Lunar Exploration: Five lunar missions were launched, indicating the growing global interest in the Moon.
• Space Debris: Due to three major on-orbit fragmentation events (such as Long March rocket stage), 3,665 debris objects were added to orbit.

India’s Space Achievements:

• Satellite Launches: 136 new spacecraft were launched in 2024, including 22 government satellites in LEO (Low Earth Orbit) and 31 in GEO (Geostationary Orbit).

Active Deep Space Missions:

• Chandrayaan-2 Orbiter is orbiting the Moon.
• Aditya-L1 is stationed at the Sun-Earth L1 point.

Collision Avoidance Maneuvers (CAMs):

• ISRO conducted 10 CAMs involving 6 LEO and 4 GEO satellites. This number is lower than previous years, made possible due to improved forecasting techniques.

Space Debris Management:

• Atmospheric Re-entry: In 2024, 9 Indian satellites (like Cartosat-2) re-entered the atmosphere and were destroyed.
• De-orbiting: SCATSAT-1, INS-2B, and EOS-7 were safely de-orbited after mission end.
• The upper stages of PSLV Orbital Experimental Module (POEM-3 and POEM-4) were relocated to a 350 km orbit.
• Goal: ISRO aims to make all Indian space missions debris-free by 2030.

International Cooperation and Leadership:

• UN Working Group: India is currently chairing the UN working group on the Long-Term Sustainability of Outer Space Activities.
• Role in IADC: ISRO chaired the 2023-24 session of the Inter-Agency Debris Coordination Committee (IADC) and contributed to updating debris mitigation guidelines.

Future Challenges:

• Space Traffic Management (STM): Due to the growing number of satellites and debris in LEO, the need for STM is rising rapidly.
• Solar Activities: With Solar Cycle 25 peaking in 2024, there were 18 strong and 2 extreme geomagnetic storms, which led to increased orbital decay of satellites.

Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO):

• It is India’s national space agency.
• Formation: 1969
• Origin: 1962
• Headquarters: Bengaluru, Karnataka (Started as Indian National Committee for Space Research – INCOSPAR, by Dr. Vikram Sarabhai)

Objectives:

• • Development of indigenous satellite and launch vehicle technology for India
• • Application of space technology for social and economic development
• • Support in telecommunications, weather, telemedicine, and resource surveys

Major Achievements:

• India’s first satellite – Aryabhata (1975)
• Major missions like Chandrayaan-1 (2008), Mangalyaan (2013), Chandrayaan-2 (2019)
• World record in 2017 by launching 104 satellites in one go through PSLV-C37 mission
• Upcoming missions include Aditya-L1, Gaganyaan, Mangalyaan-2
• ISRO has developed Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) and Geostationary Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV)

Major Centers:

• Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC), Thiruvananthapuram – Rocket development
• U.R. Rao Satellite Centre (URSC), Bengaluru – Satellite design and development
• Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC), Sriharikota – Satellite and rocket launches
• Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre (LPSC), Valiamala & Bengaluru – Cryogenic engine development
• National Remote Sensing Centre (NRSC), Hyderabad – Remote sensing data management
• Space Applications Centre (SAC), Ahmedabad – Communication and remote sensing applications

Leadership:

• The Chairman of ISRO is also the Secretary of the Department of Space.
• From January 2025, Dr. V. Narayanan is the Chairman of ISRO, succeeding Mr. S. Somanath.

Commercial Arm:

• Antrix Corporation Limited is ISRO’s commercial arm, which markets space products and services and facilitates technology transfer.

Major Launch Vehicles:

Historic Missions:

Chandrayaan-1 (2008):

• India’s first lunar mission
• Successfully reached Moon’s orbit and collected scientific data
• Its Moon Impact Probe crash-landed on the lunar surface

Mangalyaan / Mars Orbiter Mission (2013):

• India’s first Mars mission
• Reached Mars orbit on its first attempt
• Became the first Asian country to achieve this

Chandrayaan-2 (2019):

• The orbiter is still active
• Lander ‘Vikram’ crashed during landing attempt
• Orbiter is studying the Moon’s surface

Aditya-L1 (2023):

• Mission to study the Sun
• Located at the Sun-Earth L1 point

Chandrayaan-3 (2023):

• India’s third lunar mission
• Launched on 14 July 2023
• Successfully performed soft landing near Moon’s South Pole on 23 August 2023
• India became the first country to land near the lunar South Pole
• Included lander and rover, but no orbiter