{"id":40479,"date":"2024-04-12T10:11:43","date_gmt":"2024-04-12T04:41:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/?p=40479"},"modified":"2025-04-25T03:02:01","modified_gmt":"2025-04-24T21:32:01","slug":"isros-zero-orbital-debris-milestone","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/isros-zero-orbital-debris-milestone\/","title":{"rendered":"ISRO\u2019s zero orbital debris milestone"},"content":{"rendered":"
What\u2019s in today\u2019s article?<\/h2>\n
\u25cf Why in News?<\/p>\n
\u25cf What is POEM?<\/p>\n
\u25cf Space debris: a challenge<\/p>\n
\u25cf How are space agencies dealing with debris?<\/p>\n
Why in News?<\/h2>\n
ISRO launched a mission called PSLV-C58\/XPoSat and made sure it left no debris in space. It did this by turning the last stage of the rocket into a small space station called POEM-3 (PSLV Orbital Experimental Module-3)<\/strong>.<\/p>\n
Instead of leaving it to float in space, they let it come back into the Earth’s atmosphere after the mission was completed.<\/p>\n
What is POEM?<\/h2>\n
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About<\/strong>\n
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It has been developed by the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC) as an inexpensive space platform.<\/li>\n
It uses the spent fourth stage of a PSLV rocket as an orbital platform.<\/li>\n
Used for the first time in the PSLV-C53 mission in June 2022, ISRO had POEM orbit the earth as a stabilised platform to perform in-orbit scientific experiments with various payloads.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n
Features<\/strong>\n
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POEM is powered by solar panels mounted on the fuel tank of the rocket\u2019s fourth stage and a lithium-ion (Li-ion) battery.<\/li>\n
It has a dedicated navigation, guidance, and control (NGC) system to stabilise its altitude along with helium control thrusters.<\/li>\n
It talks to ISRO\u2019s NavIC satellite constellation for navigation and it also has a telecommand system to communicate with the ground station.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n
Achievement of POEM-3<\/strong>\n
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POEM-3 featured nine payloads<\/li>\n
POEM-3 completed 400 orbits around the earth by its 25th day. The payloads were operationalised to perform their experiments during this time.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/figure>\n
Space debris: a challenge<\/h2>\n
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Increasing space debris<\/strong>\n
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With the rise in the number of satellites in orbit around the earth, space debris has become a pressing issue.<\/li>\n
Space debris in the low earth orbit (LEO) mainly comprises pieces of spacecraft, rockets, and defunct satellites, and the fragments of objects that have deteriorated explosively as a result of anti-satellite missile tests.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n
The LEO extends from 100 km above the earth\u2019s surface up to 2000 km above.<\/li>\n
It includes satellites tracking intelligence data, encrypted communication, and navigation.<\/li>\n
According to ISRO\u2019s Space Situational Assessment report 2022, the world placed 2,533 objects in space in 179 launches in 2022.\n
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As more communication satellites\/constellations are launched and more anti-satellite tests are conducted, more on-orbit breakup and collisions occur, producing smaller and smaller fragments in orbit.<\/li>\n
The number of space objects greater than 10 cm in size in LEO is expected to be about 60,000 by 2030, as per ISRO estimates.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n
Threat to several space assets<\/strong>\n
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This debris often flies around at high speeds of up to 27,000 kilometres per hour.<\/li>\n
Due to their sheer volume and momentum, they pose a risk to several space assets<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n
Threats on the ground<\/strong>\n
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Recently, a chunk of metal believed to be a discarded battery pallet from the International Space Station ripped through the roof and two stories of a house in Florida.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n
Kessler syndrome<\/strong>\n
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Space debris also leads to two major risks:<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n
it creates unusable regions of the orbit due to excessive debris, and<\/li>\n
leads to the \u2018Kessler syndrome\u2019 \u2013 creation of more debris due to cascading collisions resulting from one collision.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
How are space agencies dealing with debris?<\/h2>\n
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Legal provisions<\/strong>\n
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Currently, there are no international space laws pertaining to LEO debris.<\/li>\n
However, most space-exploring nations abide by the Space Debris Mitigation Guidelines 2002<\/strong> specified by the Inter-Agency Space Debris Coordination Committee (IADC).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n
This was endorsed by the U.N. in 2007.<\/li>\n
Space Debris Mitigation Guidelines 2002<\/strong>\n
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The guidelines outline methods to limit accidental collisions in orbit, break-ups during operations, intentional destruction, and post-mission break-ups.<\/li>\n
They also advise against the long-term presence of spacecraft and launch vehicle orbital stages in LEO and limit their interference in the GEO region.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n
Steps taken by other countries<\/strong>\n
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NASA<\/strong> had instituted its Orbital Debris Program in 1979 to find ways to create less orbital debris and design equipment to track and remove existing debris.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n
Currently, its Space Force tracks space debris and collisions in LEO.<\/li>\n
However, the agency has not implemented any technology to clean such debris yet; most such ideas are in the conceptual stage.\n
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The European Space Agency (ESA)<\/strong> has adopted a \u2018Zero Debris charter,\u2019 which includes multiple ways to mitigate space debris.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n
It has also called for zero space debris by 2030 and seeks that other agencies adopt it as well.\n
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Recently, China<\/strong> deployed a large spacecraft designed to de-orbit its defunct spacecraft.<\/li>\n
Japan<\/strong> also has a project, called the Commercial Removal of Debris Demonstration (CRD2), to tackle space junk.<\/li>\n
India<\/strong> is working to mitigate space debris.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n
Apart from the POEM missions, ISRO has set up a Space Situational Awareness Control Centre to protect its high-value assets from close approaches and collisions.<\/li>\n
An Indian start-up named Manastu Space<\/strong> is working on technologies like in-space refuelling, de-orbiting of old satellites, and satellite life extension.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n
Q.1. What is Kessler syndrome?<\/h3>\n
Kessler syndrome is a hypothetical scenario where Earth’s orbit becomes so crowded with debris and objects that satellites can no longer be used in certain areas.<\/p>\n
Q.2. What is NavIC?<\/h3>\n
NavIC, or Navigation with Indian Constellation, is a satellite-based system that provides navigation, positioning, and timing services. It was previously known as the Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System (IRNSS).<\/p>\n
![\"POEM-3's](\"https:\/\/vajiram-prod.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com\/POEM_3_s_payloads_073bfad66d.webp\")
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