ISRO has executed 29 collision avoidance manoeuvres in the past 18 months to safeguard Indian satellites, reflecting the growing congestion in low earth orbit and India’s proactive measures to protect its space assets, announced Press Information Bureau.

The upcoming Gaganyaan missions and NETRA telescope further underline India’s commitment to sustainable and safe space operations.

The Indian Space Research Organisation has carried out 29 collision avoidance manoeuvres in the last one and a half years to protect its satellites. These included 20 manoeuvres in 2025 and nine in 2026 so far.

The Union government informed Parliament that 20 out of 22 active Indian satellites are currently operating in low earth orbit, at altitudes of 2000 km or less, where the risk of collision is highest.

A collision avoidance manoeuvre is a targeted trajectory adjustment executed by ISRO to steer an operational spacecraft away from space debris or other active satellites when a critical close approach is predicted.

Such manoeuvres are essential in the increasingly crowded orbital environment. ISRO monitors close approaches by combining global alerts with indigenous tracking data, ensuring timely interventions.

In 2025, ISRO evaluated over 1,50,000 close approach alerts specifically targeting Indian satellites. Out of these, action was taken in 20 cases, resulting in 14 manoeuvres in low earth orbit, including one involving the joint NASA-ISRO NISAR mission.

Four manoeuvres were executed in geostationary orbit, while two special adjustments were carried out for the Chandrayaan-2 orbiter. These actions highlight ISRO’s vigilance across multiple orbital regimes.

The multi-object tracking radar at Sriharikota currently tracks large objects in low earth orbit and has been utilised extensively for monitoring.

The upcoming optical telescope at Hanle in Ladakh, part of the Network for Space Object Tracking and Analysis (NETRA) project, is nearing completion. Once operational, it will be capable of tracking objects of size 30 cm or larger at geostationary altitude, significantly enhancing India’s space situational awareness.

India’s broader commitment to space sustainability is evident in its Debris Free Space Mission initiative announced in 2024, which aims for all Indian space operations to be debris-free by 2030. ISRO is also actively contributing to international frameworks such as the Inter-Agency Debris Coordination Committee and the United Nations Working Group on Long Term Sustainability.

On the human space flight front, Union Science Minister Jitendra Singh confirmed that the first crewed mission of the Gaganyaan program is planned for 2027.

This will be preceded by an uncrewed mission in late 2026 featuring Vyommitra, a half-humanoid AI-powered robot, followed by two additional uncrewed missions. Technologies such as biomedical and life support systems are under development and will be validated through these missions, with potential applications beyond spaceflight.

India’s collision avoidance record demonstrates both operational vigilance and technological maturity. 

By integrating indigenous tracking systems with global alerts, ISRO is ensuring the safety of its satellites while preparing for ambitious human spaceflight missions. These efforts reinforce India’s role as a responsible spacefaring nation committed to sustainable and safe utilisation of outer space.

Agencies