Question: What is the purpose of recently inaugurated ISRO’s SSA Control Centre, NETRA?
a) Tracking of Gaganyaan mission
b) Tracking enemy Satellite
c) Controlling communication Satellite
d) Protecting high valued space assets from space debris close approaches and collisions.
Answer: (d)
Related Facts:
- On 14 December, 2020, the ISRO SSA Control Centre was started at its ISTRAC campus Peenya, Bengaluru.
- ISRO’s SSA Control Centre named as NETRA was formally inaugurated by the Chairman, ISRO/Secretary, DOS Dr. K. Sivan.
- It has been set up as a ‘Directorate of Space Situational Awareness and Management (DSSAM).
- It will be used to protect high valued space assets from space debris close approaches and collisions.
- The NEtwork for space object TRacking and Analysis (NETRA) will monitor, track and protect India’s space assets.
- On this occasion Mr. Sivan re-iterated the need for setting up a state-of-the art facility dedicated to SSA activities on par with international agencies.
- The control centre is envisaged to function as a hub of all SSA activities within India.
- Concurrent processing of data from the upcoming observational facilities for space objects’ orbit determination, correlation and catalogue generation will take place here.
- There will be provision to schedule and remotely operate the observational facilities from the control centre.
- Other core SSA activities will comprise close approach analysis between ISRO’s satellite and launch vehicles.
- The NETRA will help in timely dissemination of advance alerts on upcoming critical conjunctions for collision avoidance of operational assets of ISRO.
- It will coordinate in prediction of atmospheric re-entry of derelict satellites and rocket bodies.
- In addition, dedicated labs will also be set up in this control centre for Space Debris mitigation and remediation, compliance verification of UN/IADC guidelines and various R&D activities.
- The R&D activities will encompass space object fragmentation and break up modelling, space debris population and micrometeoroid environment modeling.
- It will also undertake Space Weather studies, Near Earth Objects and planetary defence studies etc.
- The establishment of ISRO SSA Control Centre marks an important milestone towards enhancement and augmentation of ISRO’s SSA capabilities.
- The main elements of NETRA would be radar, an optical telescope facility, and a control centre.
- Mr Sivan hopefully acclaimed that the NETRA will pave the way for greater self-reliance under the ambit of Atmanirbhar Bharat.
- Only the US, Russia and Europe have similar facility in place to track space objects and share collision warnings.
By – Rajesh Tripathi