Lok Sabha Question No. 4190 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2026-03-18
Subject: Space Debris Management
Ministry: SPACE
Asked by: Thiru Dr. S Jagathratchakan

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA DEPARTMENT OF SPACE

## LOK SABHA

TO BE ANSWERED ON WEDNESDAY, MARCH 18, 2026

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 4190 SPACE DEBRIS MANAGEMENT

## 4190.  THIRU DR. S JAGATHRATCHAKAN:

Will the PRIME MINISTER be pleased to state:

- (a) whether the Government has assessed the current amount of space debris generated by Indian satellite missions and if so, the details thereof;
- the  steps  taken  to  align  India's  debris  mitigation  policies with  international  guidelines  issued  by  the  Inter-Agency Space Debris Coordination Committee (IADC) and the United Nations  Committee  on  the  Peaceful  Uses  of  Outer  Space
- (b) (UNCOPUOS);
- (c) whether  India  has  collaborated  with  other  countries  or international  organisations  to  share  data  and  technologies for  space  debris  tracking  and  management  and  if  so,  the details of such collaborations;
- (d) the  specific  technological  advancements  or  innovations being developed by ISRO for active removal of debris and the post-mission disposal of defunct satellites; and
- (e) the  total  budget  allocated  for  space  debris  management initiatives, including the IS4OM and NETRA projects and the progress made under these initiatives so far?

## 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) Yes. As of March 2026, a total of 129 trackable space debris originating from Indian satellite missions are in orbit, which consist of defunct satellites in LEO (23) and GEO (26), rocket bodies remaining in orbit from PSLV (40), GSLV (4) and LVM3 (3), and debris generated due to in-orbit break-up of PSLV C3 rocket  body  (33).  ISRO  annually  releases  Indian  Space Situational Assessment Report (ISSAR) which contains such assessments.
- (b) Government has taken several steps to align India's debris mitigation  policies  with  international  guidelines  issued  by IADC and UNCOPUOS and these guidelines are followed in Indian  space  programmes  to  the  extent  practicable.  The Debris Free Space  Mission (DFSM) initiative has been announced  in  2024,  it  aims  that  by  2030,  the  goal  of  zero debris creation will be achieved by all Indian actors, government as well as private, by 2030. As a step to achieve the DFSM objectives, ISRO has institutionalized the process to ensure extra fuel margins for both spacecraft and launch

vehicles, during the mission design and project initialisation phase itself.

- (c) Yes. The Indian Space Research Organization has undertaken collaborative efforts with major space agencies such as NASA, ESA, JAXA to address challenges posed by space debris. These include cooperation in safety of space flights  to  safeguard  Indian  space  assets.,  joint  workshops and training programmes etc. ISRO, as an active member of IADC,  has  contributed  to  the  revised  mitigation  guidelines for space debris mitigation.
- (d) Studies  are  being  undertaken  for  robotic  arm,  rendezvous and proximity operations that serve as precursors to active debris  removal.  India  achieved  a  significant  milestone  in 2025 through its SpaDeX mission, demonstrating autonomous rendezvous, docking and undocking capabilities. A relocatable robotic arm and a robotic manipulator  were  also  successfully  demonstrated  on  the upper  stage  of  the  launch  vehicle  for  this  mission,  namely the PS4 orbital experimental module or POEM-4 platform.

Towards post mission disposal of defunct satellites, specific steps  are  being  undertaken  for  LEO  satellites  by  lowering their orbits after their end of mission, so that they re-enter the Earth's atmosphere within a shorter time. The required fuel  for  de-orbiting  is  being  earmarked  during  the  design phase itself for upcoming missions.

- (e) The sanctioned cost of NETRA project is Rs. 509.01 crore. The cumulative expenditure incurred as on February 2026 is Rs. 67.77 crore.

Since its establishment in 2022, IS4OM concerts all activities for long term sustainability of outer space activities,  including  space  debris  mitigation.  IS4OM  also provides the required technical support and handholding to Indian start-ups through  IN-SPACe  to  implement  space debris mitigation measures.

The SSA control centre under NETRA project is operational and is the hub for activities like collision avoidance maneuver recommendations through regular assessment of space  situation, prediction  of  atmospheric  re-entries  of space objects, processing of tracking data from Multi-object Tracking Radar (MOTR) of Sriharikota as and when available, along  with  continual  efforts  to  improve  the  accuracy  and efficiency  of  operational  workflow.  The  indigenous  phased array radar design for multi object tracking has been cleared by a national level expert committee after extensive reviews, as part of plan to establish indigenous observation facilities under NETRA.

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