DRDO's Instruments Research & Development Establishment (IRDE) is developing an advanced ultra-wide field telescope array intended to track objects in Earth orbit, marking a significant step in India's expanding space surveillance capabilities.

The project involves an industry partner manufacturing the optical systems under IRDE's design review and technical oversight. Each telescope system combines four 250 mm off-axis reflective telescopes operating at f/1.64, providing a field of view of at least 12 degrees.

The optical architecture incorporates a dichroic beam splitter that separates visible-near infrared (Visible-NIR) and short-wave infrared (SWIR) wavelengths, enabling simultaneous multi-band observations and improving target detection and tracking performance across varying lighting conditions.

In addition to the primary telescopes, each system includes two 50 mm refractive telescopes offering a field of view of 48 degrees or greater. These wide-angle sensors are expected to support broad-area sky monitoring and rapid detection of orbital objects.

The programme calls for the delivery of one prototype system within 18 months of contract award, followed by a fully functional operational unit at the 24-month mark.

Achieving a 250 mm aperture at f/1.64 while maintaining a flat field across 12 degrees represents a highly demanding optical engineering challenge. Such specifications are typically associated with advanced wide-area surveillance systems designed to detect, acquire and track space objects over large regions of the sky.

The effort reflects a broader push to strengthen India's indigenous Space Situational Awareness capabilities. IRDE has also been involved in collaborations aimed at enhancing ground-based space surveillance infrastructure, indicating a growing focus on domestic electro-optical systems for monitoring satellites, debris and other orbital targets.

The telescope array points towards the development of an indigenous wide-area search layer that could support persistent monitoring of increasingly congested orbital environments while reducing reliance on external tracking networks.

Agencies