Parliament Question: Space Debris Management and Orbital Sustainability

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA DEPARTMENT OF SPACE LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 3985 TO BE ANSWERED ON WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 12, 2026 SPACE DEBRIS MANAGEMENT AND ORBITAL SUSTAINABILITY

3985. SHRI KARTI P CHIDAMBARAM:

Will the PRIME MINISTER be pleased to state:

(a) the current estimated volume of space debris being tracked in orbits relevant to Indian satellites and the risk it poses to operational missions;

(b) whether India has adopted or plans to adopt international guidelines for deorbiting satellites at end-of-life; and

(c) the details of any indigenous space awareness capability developed to track and mitigate collision risks? ANSWER MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF PERSONNEL, PUBLIC GRIEVANCES & PENSIONS AND IN THE PRIME MINISTER’S OFFICE (DR. JITENDRA SINGH):

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(a) The estimated number of catalogued space objects in the region where Indian space assets currently operate areapproximately 12000 for Low Earth orbit satellites and 200 for Geo synchronous satellites.

(b) Yes, Indian Space Policy mandates adoption of internationally recognised guidelines on space debris mitigation in Indian space programme, including end-of-life disposal. Debris Free Space Mission initiative, spearheaded by ISRO, is a proactive step for implementing guidelines on end-of-life disposal of satellites. The Norms, Guidelines and Procedures released by IN-SPACe in 2024 also encourages all Indian space actors to adopt adequate post mission disposal measures or ensure their space assets will have very limited orbital life due to natural orbital decay.

(c) Multi Object tracking Radar at Sriharikota has capabilities to track space objects and is primarily utilised for launch vehicle stage tracking. NETRA Project has been conceived with the objective to establish facilities to track the debries.

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