ISSAR 2025: India’s Satellites, Debris and Collision Avoidance
Why in the news
The Indian Space Situational Assessment Report 2025 shows how crowded orbit has become and how India manages its own satellites and debris.
Key facts
- Global launches: 315 successful, placing 4,600-plus objects in orbit.
- Indian satellites: 86 in total; 27 operational, 23 defunct, 36 decayed.
- Manoeuvres: over 1,000 in 2025; 563 in LEO and 519 in GEO.
- Collision Avoidance Measures (CAMs): 18 executed by ISRO.
- Concern: space congestion threatens costly space assets.
| Rocket | Spent bodies still in orbit |
|---|---|
| PSLV | 42 |
| GSLV | 4 |
| LVM-3 | 3 |
| SSLV | None; all 4 decayed |
About the terms
- Orbital manoeuvre: a move to hold a satellite in its slot or dodge a collision.
- LEO manoeuvres were mostly for earth observation; GEO ones mostly for communication satellites.
- Conjunction: a close pass between objects; ISRO tracks these.
- CAM: firing thrusters to nudge a satellite away from debris or another satellite.
- Defunct satellite: retired but still floating; decayed: re-entered and burned up.
Exam angle
- Report: Indian Space Situational Assessment Report 2025.
- Numbers to recall: 86, 27, 23, 36 and 18 CAMs.
- PSLV has the most spent bodies in orbit.