30-12-2020 | 16:11 PM
NEtwork for space object TRacking and Analysis (NETRA)
Context
Recently, Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has set up a dedicated control centre for Space Situational Awareness (SSA) activities in the country, known as NETRA. The ISRO SSA Control Centre has been set up within ISTRAC campus at Bengaluru.
About NETRA
The “NEtwork for space object TRacking and Analysis” (NETRA) which has been set up as a ‘Directorate of Space Situational Awareness and Management (DSSAM)’.
NETRA has been set up with the aim to protect high valued space assets from space debris close approaches and collisions.
NETRA will basically track objects both natural and man-made in the satellite orbits. It will operate as a hub of all SSA activities within India.
Tracking such objects is known as Space Situational Awareness (SSA). It is the science of tracking objects to provide collision warnings. This is extremely important as the space is getting over crowded with private and government satellites. They pose serious threats to the earth-orbiting satellites.
An optical telescope, a radar and a control centre are the main components of NETRA.
NETRA's core activities include timely dissemination of advance warnings on collision avoidance of space assets, approach analysis between ISRO satellite and launch vehicles and prediction of atmospheric re-entry of rocket bodies or derelict satellites.
It will simultaneously conduct processing of data from the upcoming observational facilities for space objects’ orbit determination, catalogue generation and correlation.
The centre however doesn't have any provisions to remotely operate its observational facilities.
The state-of-the-art facility, dedicated to SSA activities will also help to coordinate between Indian agencies, their foreign counterparts and international bodies.
Very few countries like Russia, US have their own Space Situational Awareness Centres in place to track space objects and share collision warnings.
