{"id":36637,"date":"2023-08-01T07:49:26","date_gmt":"2023-08-01T02:19:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/?p=36637"},"modified":"2025-04-21T23:38:11","modified_gmt":"2025-04-21T18:08:11","slug":"isro-rocket-debris-on-australian-shore","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/isro-rocket-debris-on-australian-shore\/","title":{"rendered":"ISRO Rocket Debris on Australian Shore"},"content":{"rendered":"<h3><strong>What\u2019s in today\u2019s article?<\/strong><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Why in news?<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>ISRO\u2019s stand<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>Previous instances of Junk from space objects falling to the earth<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>Associated dangers<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>Regulatory framework<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2><strong>Why in news?<\/strong><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>A large object found on the shores of western Australia a couple of weeks ago has been confirmed to be the debris of an Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) rocket.<\/li>\n<li>ISRO has agreed with the assessment, saying the debris could be from one of its Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) rockets.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2><strong>ISRO\u2019s stand<\/strong><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>As per ISRO, the object was most likely an unburnt part of the PSLV rocket that launched a navigation satellite for the IRNSS constellation two months ago.\n<ul>\n<li>That satellite was launched in the southward direction.\u00a0<\/li>\n<li>It is possible that one of the parts of the rocket did not burn completely while dropping back into the atmosphere, and fell into the ocean.\u00a0<\/li>\n<li>It could later have been swept towards the Australian shore.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li>ISRO is still to decide on the future course of action.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2><strong>Previous instances of Junk from space objects falling to the earth<\/strong><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>Junk from space objects falling to the earth are not unheard of.\u00a0<\/li>\n<li>Most such incidents involve relatively small fragments from rockets that survive the friction of the atmosphere.<\/li>\n<li>Most recently, in November 2022, large fragments of China\u2019s Long March 5B rocket plunged uncontrolled into the south-central Pacific Ocean.\n<ul>\n<li>These fragments were stages of the rocket used to deliver the third and final module of the Tiangong space station.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li>In May 2021, a large chunk of a 25-tonne Chinese rocket fell into the Indian Ocean.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2><strong>Associated dangers<\/strong><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>The threat to life and property from falling space junk is not negligible.\u00a0<\/li>\n<li>Even when falling into the oceans, which is more likely since 70 per cent of the earth\u2019s surface is ocean, large objects can be a threat to marine life, and a source of pollution.<\/li>\n<li>However, <u>there are no recorded incidents of these falling objects causing any appreciable damage anywhere on the earth<\/u>.\u00a0<\/li>\n<li>When they have dropped over land, so far, it has been over uninhabited areas.<\/li>\n<li>However, what is worrying is the fact that these junks<u> did not by design have a system to ensure it fell in a designated place on Earth<\/u>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2><strong>Regulatory framework<\/strong><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Convention on International Liability for Damage Caused by Space Objects<\/strong>\n<ul>\n<li>Most space-faring countries are signatories to the Convention on International Liability for Damage Caused by Space Objects.<\/li>\n<li>The Liability Convention deals mainly with damage caused by space objects to other space assets, but it also <u>applies to damage caused by falling objects on earth<\/u>.<\/li>\n<li>The Convention makes the <strong>launching country absolutely liable to pay compensation for any damage<\/strong> caused by its space object on the earth or to a flight in air.\u00a0<\/li>\n<li>The country where the junk falls can stake a claim for compensation if it has been damaged by the falling object.<\/li>\n<li>The amount of compensation is to be decided \u201cin accordance with international law and the principles of justice and equity\u201d.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><strong>The Outer Space Treaty<\/strong>\n<ul>\n<li>It was adopted by the United Nations in 1967.\u00a0<\/li>\n<li>It primarily addresses the peaceful use of outer space and prohibits the placement of nuclear weapons in space.<\/li>\n<li>It also contains provisions related to space debris and the return of space objects to Earth.<\/li>\n<li>Provisions related to Space Debris and Earth&#8217;s Safety in the Outer Space Treaty:<\/li>\n<li><strong>Benefit for All Humanity<\/strong>\n<ul>\n<li>Space activities are meant to be for the good of everyone, which includes avoiding harm caused by space debris falling back to Earth.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><strong>Preventing Harmful Contamination<\/strong>\u00a0\n<ul>\n<li>Countries must study outer space carefully and explore it responsibly to prevent any harmful pollution or changes to our planet.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><strong>Avoiding Harm to Celestial Bodies<\/strong>\u00a0\n<ul>\n<li>States are obligated to avoid damaging not only space but also other celestial bodies like the Moon.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><strong>Responsibility for Space Objects<\/strong>\u00a0\n<ul>\n<li>The country that launches a space object from Earth is responsible for it and must ensure its safe return or proper disposal.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><strong>Consultation for Safety<\/strong>\u00a0\n<ul>\n<li>If one country believes that another country&#8217;s space activities could cause problems, they can talk about it to find a solution. This could include concerns about space debris falling back to Earth.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><strong>Space Debris Mitigation Guidelines of the United Nations Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (COPUOS)<\/strong>\n<ul>\n<li>While the Outer Space Treaty establishes important principles, it lacks specific regulations and mechanisms for dealing with space debris directly.\u00a0<\/li>\n<li>Since the treaty was adopted in 1967, other international agreements and guidelines have been developed to address space debris mitigation and the safe disposal of space objects.<\/li>\n<li>This includes the nonbinding <strong>Debris Mitigation Guidelines<\/strong> (drafted in 2007).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h3><strong>Q1)<\/strong> <strong>What is United Nations Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (COPUOS)?<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>The United Nations Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (COPUOS) is a UN body that deals with international cooperation in space activities..<\/p>\n<p><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<h3><strong>Q2)<\/strong>\u00a0W<strong>hat are Debris Mitigation Guidelines??<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>Debris Mitigation Guidelines, also known as Space Debris Mitigation Guidelines, are a set of internationally agreed-upon principles and practices aimed at reducing the generation of space debris and minimizing the long-term environmental impact of human activities in space. These guidelines were developed by various space agencies and organizations to address the growing concern over space debris, which poses a significant threat to both operational spacecraft and future space missions.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p><strong>Source:\u00a0<\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/indianexpress.com\/article\/explained\/explained-sci-tech\/isro-rocket-debris-on-australian-shore-rules-governing-space-junk-8870243\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\"><u>ISRO rocket debris on Australian shore: rules governing space junk<\/u><\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.unoosa.org\/oosa\/en\/ourwork\/spacelaw\/treaties\/introouterspacetreaty.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\"><u>UN Office for Outer Space Affairs<\/u><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is the space agency of India. Recently, ISRO rocket debris was found on the Austrialian shore.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":36638,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-36637","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-upsc-mains-current-affairs","8":"no-featured-image-padding"},"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36637","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=36637"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36637\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/36638"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=36637"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=36637"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=36637"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}